Tag: Running

• Cravings

  Posted at 7:28 PM by Brittany, on February 3, 2013

  Usually my food cravings are so spot on that it takes less than 10 minutes for me to make some magic happen to satisfy my needs. The other night I wanted grease, and carbs. Solution? Cheesy tots.

  

  I don’t think I stopped to breath while I ate these. Daiya cheese has found a new way into my heart. Craving satisfied. Then yesterday something horrific happened. I was craving..nothing. Not a single thing sounded good to me..NOT even cupcakes or cookies. Oh the horror! So my dinner consisted of a random throw together. I would have gone to bed hungry, but I needed to eat something for my longer run today.

  

  The saddest part about this gorgeous looking mish mash, was that it was just MEH to my taste buds. Such a rough life I know. Speaking of rough, in my last post I mentioned that I judge other runners apparel. Check out this atrocity that hit the streets today..

  

  Green pants, grey top, PINK gloves, ugly shoes that are a YEAR old. Judge away friends..JUDGE AWAY! My shoes are so far gone it’s not even funny..more on that in a future post. I am officially the epitome of what I “judge.” Inefficiency at it’s finest running in shoes that will KILL my legs. New shoes are ON THEIR WAY.

  My knees HATED me today on my 11 mile run. On the upside I had my HOT running partner with me, and I tried a new energy gel.

  

  I have been obsessed with chia seeds for at least 4 years now. I have heard AWFUL reviews about this product, and it sold so poorly that Manfriend got all of these for free from his work. I also got some freebies from Liz (thanks again L!) I LOVED them. I have to try them again to judge the endurance aspect, but I didn’t mind the taste and I was already used to the gel like consistency of chia seeds in liquid. I think Scott Jurek would approve. Shot Bloks still have my heart though.

  After this run it took me a few hours to find my hunger beast and while I struggled finding a craving, the stars have realigned because I was willing to shank anyone with a cupcake. I didn’t get a cupcake though, instead I had Chipotle. My intestines will thank me later.

  Q: What do you do when you crave NOTHING!? 

  

  | 52 Comments Tagged Cravings, Food, Random, Running, Vegan

• Running Thoughts

  Posted at 9:26 AM by Brittany, on January 21, 2013

  Running longer distances allows for a lot of time with your thoughts. Thoughts about life, thoughts about family, thoughts about food, and most importantly thoughts about cookies. While on a 10 mile run yesterday, I thought about all of these things. My running partner was with me for good conversation, but anytime there was silence my mind was thinking about how excited I was to get to the grocery store destination so I could buy myself a cookie.

  10 miles done and the grocery store was waiting for me to purchase sugar laden treats and guzzle water with blueberries floating inside. If you don’t end your run at the grocery store, you are missing out. While walking the aisles patiently waiting to stumble upon the cranberry orange cookie I had discovered just the day before, I looked at my friend as he muttered the most beautiful words I had heard all day, “let’s make compost cookies.”
  

  Compost cookies were originally founded by a restaurant called Momofuku, but I wanted to make my own version..vegan friendly of course. I used my chocolate chip cookie base, and added the random ingredients to it. It doesn’t feel right to call these compost cookies, and anytime I mentioned the fact that I was tired on this 10mile run my friend would say “basura” which means trash in Spanish  It was the theme of the run, so I present to you..basura cookies.

  Basura Cookies

  

  Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup crushed potato chips
  • 1 cup crushed pretzels
  • 2.5 teaspoons fresh ground UN-brewed coffee beans
  • a few splashes of almond milk depending on texture

  Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted coconut oil, brown sugar and raw sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, and applesauce until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips, potato chips, pretzels, and coffee grounds by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
  4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted.

  

  I will run marathons for these cookies. I am savoring one of these as I type this post, they pair perfectly with a cup of coffee. Lets be real though, I haven’t found a cookie that DOESN’T pair well with coffee!

  Q: What do you think about on long runs/bike rides/swims/hikes? 

  

  | 83 Comments Tagged Cookies, Recipe, Running, Vegan

• Home Again

  Posted at 9:38 AM by Brittany, on January 11, 2013

  My trip to Arizona was a short but sweet ten days. I had a lot of fun with family, running, eating, and adventuring. I rode on a train, I ran on new streets, and I tasted my first Moscato. For the things I haven’t mentioned, here are some bullet points for easy viewing.

  • I watched horses dance like people. 
  • I ate garden grown spinach the size of my hand.

  

  • I ran 26 miles in unknown flat land. The best part about running in Arizona is the lack of hills. It felt like a vacation from running too.
  • I tried new food.

  

  • I ate at Pei Wei.

  

  • I watched a new blogger blossom. My younger brother has started a blog, and I had a blast being around to watch him write a post.
  • I had awesome family time.

  I’ve been home for five days, and am missing the flat roads of Arizona. Running on hills is supposed to make you a better runner..right? It’s good to be home.

  By the way, I have become completely engrossed by Instagram. I think the only bandwagon I just can’t get on is Twitter. At the rate I am going I will have a Twitter by the end of the year. Ugh. 
  

  Q: Do you have all the bells and whistles of social media? I just can’t do it..

  

  | 41 Comments Tagged Arizona, Cats, Food, Instagram, New food, Running, Vacation, Vegan

• NYE-I’m Getting Old

  Posted at 9:03 AM by Brittany, on January 1, 2013

  I’m not one for New Years Resolutions, however I do think the idea of setting goals can be exciting. 2012 was my year of running. One race per month, with at least one half marathon. New Years Day last year included running and jumping into freezing water. Great way to start off a year of good running. This year my goal is to run four half marathons. No resolutions, no diets, just four half’s. Oh and I also have a goal of keeping my cool at the gym when all the resolutioners hog my spin classes. At least they only come to the gym for about a month.

  Enough about goals and running, you all want to hear about my wild night on the town for NYE!! Before I get to that, I’ll start with the beginning of my day. What better way to spend the end of the year than in a room full of half naked sweaty people?

  
  My first hot yoga class showed me beads of sweat on my skin in places I’ve never seen before. There is something magical about seeing sweat roll off your body, knowing that you are releasing stress and toxins onto your yoga towel. I did get dizzy a few times, and at one point felt a little queasy, but a few deep breaths and a burp cured that and the 90 minutes flew by.

  I was a little disappointed with how clothed everyone was. My yogi master (Manfriend) advised me to go with just shorts and a sports bra, so that’s what I did. There was only one other woman in there without a shirt. Once we started flowing, the heat really brought out my abs.

  

  Don’t be jealous, it takes a lot of cookies and cake to achieve this ab perfection. I had a blast doing this with my aunt, and can’t wait to get home and do it again with boyfriend.

  After a much needed shower and refuel, I did some running around with my cousin to kill time before our big party of the night. On our way out of Walmart, some representatives were giving away free food. It’s always a good day when you get free food.

  

  Four hours later, it was time for the main event.

  

  Once again, please hold back your jealousy for my night of Bingo. You know you’re getting old when you’d rather play 3hours of bingo and be home by 9:45 than go out and party. Unfortunately I didn’t win anything, but I got close. Next time..I’ll win the jackpot.

  Today is a day spent running, enjoying family time, and relaxing. Happy New Year!!

  Q: How was your NYE??

  

  | 48 Comments Tagged Bikram, New Year, Running, Yoga

• Fascinating Food

  Posted at 4:06 PM by Brittany, on December 30, 2012

  While playing a game with my younger siblings, I discovered that we are indeed of the same blood line. I asked a question, and my brother answered perfectly.

  

  I would have to agree to a degree, one of the most fascinating things about being a human is comprehending the amazing flavors of different foods. I’ve been away from home, but I haven’t been slacking in the food department. My Arizonian family agreed to go to a vegan restaurant with me and fortunately for me this restaurant is located in Seattle too!

  

  Started with an Asian style soup, and a sip of my dads Indian style chai.

  

  I love Asian food, but I like getting American style vegan food. I find it to be more fascinating and impressive when a vegan protein can resemble real meat. I went vegan because I love animals, not because I didn’t like the taste of meat! I got the Hawaiian burger with a side of steamed veggies.

  

  This burger was a mess, which lets you know it was delicious. Overall everyone approved..except the one that got the nasty vegan hot dog. It was rough, even I didn’t like it. Dessert always saves the day.

  

  I haven’t had carrot cake in years. This was delicious. An unpictured cheesecake was also annihilated.

  I’ve eaten a LOT of food, so I’ve been running a lot too. Today I had an amazing 8miler, and the previous two days I had comfortable 3milers. TOMORROW I am going to my first hot yoga class with my aunt and I couldn’t be more excited!

  Q: Does your family eat the same way you do? No, but everyone makes an effort to try my hippie fuel.

  

  | 38 Comments Tagged Food, Rest, Running, Vegan

• The Grinch 10K

  Posted at 9:56 AM by Brittany, on December 16, 2012

  Last December I set a goal to run one race per month for an entire year. Overall I was successful with this goal. I missed one race in August, and in November I made my own Turkey Trot because I went to sign up too late. Ok so I missed two races, but I’m going to pretend that the T-Trot counts. The year has flown by, and if you asked me last year about all the races and runs I would have completed I would have laughed in your face. Yesterday I ran my last race of 2012.

  The day was cold. I mean really cold.

  

  It also was trying to rain, but thankfully held off until the race was over. I always get to races extra early to avoid last minute crowds trying to get their packets. I don’t want any added stress, otherwise it would jeopardize my chances of winning. Joke..

  

  The 5K was called The Frosty 5K, and the 10K was The Grinch 10K. I’d rather be The Grinch anyway. I should have worn green. Instead I attempted dressing to the occasion.

  

  My shirt has candy canes and my socks are Santa-ish. I didn’t win best costume, but I tried. I wanted to wear my new leggings, but didn’t dare get them ruined.

  

  I’m in love

  This race course was the same as the race I ran in March for St.Patty’s day. This meant the chances for a legit PR would be good. I have come to realize that no matter where I am when I run, whether it’s in a “race” or running on the road for fun I always have the same pace. I never try to actually “race.” Just keep that information in your frontal lobe, I’ll come back to it.

  Once the race started I warmed up pretty quick. For the first 3 miles the pace was a steady 10:30. This is my regular pace. I felt fine, and was enjoying the run. At about mile 4 I saw an older gentleman start to pass me. Something inside of me clicked and all of a sudden I was like, “No.” Just no..no this man is not going to pass me, and no I am not going to leisurely finish this race. So I turned on the juices. Right before the huge hill nonetheless. I turned the pace from 10:30 to 9:30 and held strong the rest of the race.

  Once I started to feel myself slowing down, another girl around my age came out of no where and had an amazing cadence and stride to her run. She started to pull ahead of me. Once again I said, “no.” I turned up the juices even more. At this point I wasn’t going for a PR, I just wanted to beat this girl. She was on my heels for over half of a mile. Right before the end another fatty hill reared it’s ugly face, and thankfully Manfriend was there to give me that extra push I needed. Once the end was in sight I ran as fast as I could and left her in my dust.

  Overall finish time was 1:01:32 with a 9:55 pace. EXACTLY 2 minutes faster than my last 10K. Literally down to the second. I shaved 2 minutes off, and if I had only “raced” from the beginning I could have gotten that sub 1:00!! Next time..for sure. I am more than happy with this race rounding out my year.

  Afterwards I stuffed my face with a vegan burger and brainstormed ideas for 2013 fitness goals. I see some more half marathons in my near future!!

  Q: What were your main fitness goals of 2012?

  

  | 40 Comments Tagged Christmas, Race, Running, Vegan

• Let’s Get Crafty

  Posted at 6:21 PM by Brittany, on December 5, 2012

  Being the Pinterest addict that I am, I found a craft on there I just had to make. Since I don’t know the exact website of origin, I can’t give credit to anyone other than Pinterest. So here’s my craft, courtesy of Pinterest.

  

  Some of you may have seen this, and when I did I immediately fell in love with the idea.

  

  A deck of cards, printed sheets with typed reasons of love, construction paper, two scrabble peices, a hole punch, glue, and binding rings.

  

  This craft was so much fun. It was time consuming at parts, which helped to keep me busy. If anyone is looking for an adorably fun craft, this is it! I chose to not use the side of the cards with the jack, queen, or the king. These were too “busy” looking to me and I didn’t want the typed words to get lost in the chaos of the picture on the card. That’s the extent of my craftiness for the year.

  After my craft making I went on a 5mile run, and then had an amazing home cooked meal that was inspired by the lovely Amanda. I am already craving a second helping.

  

  Asparagus with peppers, onions, and garlic. Baked potato slices with thyme and salt. Brown rice with field roast holiday roast and some beets.

  The rest of my evening will be polished off with some popcorn and a holiday movie. I also see a vegan cupcake in my very near future.

  Q: Do you like to make gifts, or buy them? I like both..it depends on the situation. Homemade gifts are more rewarding, but you can’t craft up a dolphin giving you a ride into Narnia. That’s something only money can buy. 

  

  | 43 Comments Tagged Craft, Pinterest, Running, Vegan

• Car Talk

  Posted at 9:59 AM by Brittany, on December 3, 2012

  My ‘hood’ has had a few car break-ins over the last couple months. I decided to prepare myself should this happen to me. Once you have a break-in you are no longer a neighborhood..you are simply a “hood.” This is my car bag.

  

  Inside the bag is: My licence, registration, insurance, GPS, wallet, and KEYS. Most important part of this car bag is the keys. This way I cannot drive off without all these driving essentials. Plus this gave me a perfect excuse to use the bag I got from this race. I bring the bag inside after I come home and hang it on my door to grab as I go.

  Now if anyone decides they want to mess with my car, the best they are getting are some spare tampons and a name tag from Trader Joe’s. Suckerrss!! Speaking of cars..check out my G-ride. This one’s for you dad..

  

  What’s wrong with this picture. OHH, there’s a missing hubcap! I might have shed a small tear once I saw this for the first time. I suspect this was stolen when the theives were made they couldn’t get through my G-force protection layer on my car. Or maybe it flew off while I was speeding driving the speed limit on the freeway. Either way I am too cheap to go buy new ones, so for now I will be the classy driver with a missing hubcap.

  I made this recipe yesterday and it was a bomb. For those of you that are too lazy to click the link, it was pumpkin banana bread. I don’t know where I went wrong, but it was more like pumpkin banana mush. It tastes ok, but it’s definitely not “bread.”

  I found a half marathon I want to run in February. That’s pretty self explanatory.

  On that note I will leave you all with my biggest Christmas wish.

  

  Q: Do you take any precautions to ensure you don’t get your car stuff stolen?? YOU SHOULD!! 

  

  | 60 Comments Tagged Cats, Random, Recipe, Running

• Sweat and Satisfaction

  Posted at 1:51 PM by Brittany, on November 23, 2012

  Thanksgiving has come and gone in what feels like the blink of an eye. I was woken yesterday by a text message at 6 am (sad to realize I used to think 6 am was sleeping in!) In that message was a photo of my younger siblings dressed in workout gear, equipped with a running bib. I immediately felt bummed I was not partaking in a Turkey Trot of some sort. I let it go, and fell back asleep for a while.

  When I woke later on, I discovered my wonderful mother in the kitchen about to prepare some vegan rolls for her crazy vegan daughter. We were low on flour thanks to my adventure the night before making pumpkin pie, and this meant it was my turn to go get flour.  That’s when I was given the genius idea to run to the store to get the flour. It’s a little over 4miles round trip, so it was nothing I couldn’t handle.

  While running to the store I had another genius idea: Use the store bag to make my own running bib. I told this idea to the lady who rang me up for my flour and she looked at me like I was insane. Perhaps I was, I ended up having to run the two miles home with a 5lb bag of flour under my arm. I channeled my inner quarter back and alternated between arms. SO long story short I got a run in, and I played some traditional turkey day football.

  

  Uh yeah, so that looks more like a mug shot than a proud running photo. I’ll just stash that on in the “do not open” folder. 4 miles done with a 9:44 pace, yay. Moral of the story: If you miss out on a race, make your own! Moving on..

  Dinner couldn’t come fast enough. In case you’re curious what a vegan eats on T-day here’s my plate. It’s very similar to last years vegetarian T-day. The only difference this year was dessert. Pumpkin pie isn’t vegan friendly, so I ended up making my own.

  

  

  THE best part of the meal. Potatoes and cranberries ON the bread.

  My plate looks a little lacking in the protein department, but fear not my pie was full of protein. I’d be lying if I said I waited until after dinner to eat my pie. In fact I had a slice the night before, and that morning to fuel my run.

  

  The secret ingredient in this delicious masterpiece? Tofu. 

  
  There is nothing more satisfying than a skeptical outsider eating a vegan dessert and swooning more than you did.

  

  This pie definitely stole the show, and my heart. An entire 15 oz of tofu in this beast and you’d have no idea unless I told you. Spices are an amazing thing.

  

  Best part of the pie, the last few bites with extra crust.

  This was my first time making a pie completely from scratch (including the crust!) and it turned out amazingly. I may just have to find another excuse for pumpkin pie when this one is gone!

  So that was my day. I had satisfaction from running, and creating new foods, and I got sweaty while eating. Or maybe it was the other way around. Or maybe a combination of everything! To end this post right, I must share what I am thankful for. I am thankful for my family, my friends, my health, my body, my mind, and my motivation to create new foods and try new adventures! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Candy Cane Joe Joe’s calling my name..time to prepare for Christmas! 😉

  Q: What was the highlight of your Thanksgiving? If you didn’t celebrate, or you celebrated earlier in the year, what was the highlights of your week!?

  

  | 52 Comments Tagged Pie, Pumpkin, Race, Running, Thanksgiving, Vegan

• Once Upon A Time..

  Posted at 12:31 PM by Brittany, on November 17, 2012

  ..I had a love affair with a sandwich. Not just any sandwich..the sandwich. The mecca of all sandwiches. The peanut butter and jelly.

  

  Please just take a moment to reflect on how beautiful those chia seeds are. Like little eggs waiting to hatch rainbows in my stomach.

  The time has come where I no longer crave a PB&J. I am ashamed to even admit this. I have eaten a PB&J every day for what feels like a year. Some days I skipped out on one, but made up for it by eating two the next day. The past few days I have forced myself to eat one. Why am I tell you this? It’s a sad day in Brittanyville..I am officially taking a break from peanut butter and jelly. I have eaten the same thing everyday for weeks and am starting to feel sluggish and sick. I can’t survive off of PB&J all day. It’s time to start creating better meals in the kitchen again.

  Another depressing topic, I have no motivation to run. None. Not a single fiber in my body has said to me, “hey we should run, it makes you feel good and gives other people a good laugh.” Instead I continue to spin spin spin at the gym until my thighs burn. I’m drowning my sorrows on a spin bike and feeling shitty for not wanting to run. Someone please give me a push and convince me why I should go run right now. Otherwise I will revert to running 2 miles and calling it good. Wait didn’t I run a half marathon recently? Yeah, so much for that. Maybe I should break up with running for a bit too. I ate a lot of PB&Js when I ran, maybe they go hand in hand. I can’t do one without the other.

  Just in case you’re wondering what I’ve been doing with my time while I should be running, or reading, or doing something productive (because I know you’re all dying to know) I have been spending time with the two men in my life. Thing one and thing two.

  

  Kitty kisses

  We’ve been watching a lot of tv.

  

  On that note I think I’ll go shower, because lets face it..I’m not going to run today.

  Q: Please tell me something funny. 

  

  | 38 Comments Tagged Cats, PB&J, Running

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• BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalistic nomad striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, deep connections, exploration, and lots of potatoes.

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• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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