Brie Fit

No post yesterday because I didn’t feel like taking photos.

The highlights?  Lunch with Therese and Chandra at my favorite Mediterranean place, Sahara, and a most excellent 1200m swim after work.

Also, I am working on a big long post celebrating my one-year anniversary of being hormonal-birth-control-free, but figured I should check to see if there’s any interest in reading about my experiences before I go and post stories about my lady business.  So…is anyone curious?  Leave a comment and let me know if you want to read this or if it should remain for ever in my drafts folder, where blog posts go to die.

Today’s lunch was leftovers from yesterday’s lunch, plus a bit of fruit salad and some baked Tostitos swiped from the break room.  (The peach wound up as an afternoon snack, as did a big slice of watermelon.)

After work, I worked it out at the gym with a speedy little 3 mile run in 27:45. 

I’ve been very pleased with my running speed of late.  I’m not really sure why it’s improved—whether it’s a function of losing a few extra pounds, or the cross-training, or if it’s just that I’m not underestimating myself anymore.  But I do hope I can keep it up.  It feels good.

I think part of my problem, actually, is that I get confused going between my outdoor intense hill running pace, which can easily be in the 10:30-11:00/mile range and feel like a max effort, and my flat track or treadmill pace, which I tend to lowball.  I don’t think I realize just how much the hills slow me down, and I’ll set a 10:00/mile pace on the treadmill thinking, “Oh, this is faster than I was outside” and be cool with it.  I need to pump it up even more, because frankly, my 9:20-ish pace today felt…not easy, but not like a balls-to-the-wall effort, either.  You know?

It was stir-fry night for dinner!

One of my favorites—lean round steak, edamame, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, cashews, teriyaki sauce and lemon juice served over brown rice.  Perfect for summertime!

Anyway, life’s about to get busy around here.  My July schedule is (roughly) as follows:

• July 1-4: visit the in-laws in the Ozarks
• July 7-9: Atlanta for work
• July 15-18: Boston for a much-needed weekend with my bestie
• July 22-25: Chicago for half work/half family time

So, lots of travel, and I’m sure I’ll be tired by the end of it, but I’m looking forward to all of it.   I can sleep in August!

Any travel recommendations for  Atlanta or Boston?  And do you want to hear about my experiences sans birth control?

You know, some days just start out good and keep delivering all day long.

Today was one of them.

I’m not going to lie.  It started out this morning with an extremely satisfying zit pop.

Then, I opened my office door to find this delightful little gift on my desk.

Our administrative assistant and I had a deep discussion about the merits of various snack foods on Friday, and I complained heartily that I cannot find small bags of Cool Ranch Doritos in Kansas City.  I refuse to buy a full size bag, because it will be gone in no time flat, which is why I occasionally like the small bags to scratch the itch, so to speak.

Anyway.  She found them.  And brought me one.  God bless that woman.

Today was kind of a munchy day.  I never really sat down and ate lunch, but I just ate bits and pieces of it (and my afternoon snack) all day long.

That small bag of Doritos?  I had the awesome self-control to only eat half of the small bag.  The other half is safely paper-clipped shut in my desk drawer.  Ten points for me.

After work, I was super excited to get back to the gym after a rest week.  I pounded out four miles in the steamy hot gym in 37:40.

More importantly, I discovered what I think *might* be the holy grail.

Running shorts. 

That are cute.

And don’t ride up between my thighs, which will never NOT touch.  Ever.

And right now I am resisting the urge to buy ten more pairs.   (Excuse the food baby.  This was taken post-dinner.)

Specifically, they are the lululemon Run: The Fastest shorts and I want to hug them and squeeze them and pin them to my wall with a big heart around them.

Since I’ve been running, I’ve tried all kinds of shorts.  The only shorts I’ve ever been able to run more than 3 miles in are these lucy Propel Run Shorts, which, while highly functional, are decidedly un-cute, and just kind of point to your legs and say “OH HEY THIS GIRL HAS THUNDER THIGHS.”

The cute shorts ride up.  Always.  Except these didn’t, at all, over the course of four miles, which is a big. freaking. deal.

So.  Ahem.  I’m thrilled about that.

And dinner was another win!

I pinned this recipe on Pinterest last week and could not stop thinking about it.  Hence, Monday night dinner.  And it was so good that we both went back for seconds.  It’s a great weeknight recipe—cheap, easy, usually have the ingredients on hand, and healthy!  We added a little grilled chicken, but it’s also normally vegetarian, if that’s your thing.  Definitely worth a try.

All good days end with cat pictures.

And ice cream.  Which is where I’m going right now.

What was the best part of your day today?

Today, I…

• went to church.
• laughed, in church, when the PowerPoint with the song lyrics got mixed up and we got a giant picture of Kung-Fu Panda instead.
• went to the casino with Tim and his Uncle Mike.
• had brunch (mimosas!) with the latter.
• lost money in the slot machines…
• but won $30 playing blackjack!
• did three loads of laundry.
• had Uncle Mike over for dinner.
• made burgers.
• made potato packets.
• made chili-lime grilled corn.
• made strawberry rhubarb crisp.
• made homemade vanilla ice cream.
• decided I really like my Run: The Fastest shorts…
• …but that I’m going to exchange my Cool Racerback in the camo print.  It’s not as soft as my other ones and fits a little funny.  I’m hoping they upload the Surge Wee Stripe soon so I can get that one!
• showered.  Eventually.
• reviewed the budget with Tim.
• watched Celebrity Rehab.
• painted my toenails (Sexy Divide by Essie) and nails (Lollipop by Essie).

What did you do today?

People often wonder why on earth I would run 10+ miles on a treadmill.

Here is why.

Please note the following in the picture above.

• There is no shoulder on the road.
• There is a steep drop-off into a ditch instead of a shoulder.
• There is tall grass that hides snakes in the ditch that is there in place of a shoulder.
• There are hills.
• When there are hills, and no shoulder on the road, a car can come roaring over the hill, not knowing you’re right there.

See also…

Yeah.  Average heart rate should not be 174 for an “easy” 3 mile run at a slow (for me) 11-minute-mile pace.

WI run outside here, I seriously feel like I’m taking my life into my own hands!  There is a relatively safe half-mile loop around my neighborhood, but it gets boring, quickly.  There’s a longer one-mile loop I can do,  but again, I’m bored with it.  I tried being more adventurous today, and it just wound up being scary and way harder than I wanted it to be.   And it was hot.

I can’t wait to move out of this house and hopefully somewhere more runnable. 

Anyway, all I wanted for lunch afterwards was a giant mixing bowl of fruit salad.  And some cheese.

I want to buy a treadmill.  Sigh.

Do you live in a runner-friendly area?

Today wasn’t really food-blog worthy.  Lunch was another business thing—simple but good food.  I had a simple salad with a small drizzle of vinegar and oil, basic roast chicken, and a small slice of cheesecake.  Dinner was leftovers.  I left work early to go to the dermatologist, and I’m now on a serious regime of antibiotics, washes, and other topical junk, with strict instructions to come back if I don’t see an improvement in six months.

Instead, here is a post about my recent obsessions.

1.  Watermelon. 

2.  And summer fruit in general.

Seriously, though, I usually tend to roll my eyes when I see diet tips being all, “OMG who needs dessert when you have delicious local organic seasonal fruit that can tap-dance and make your boobs perkier?”  This stuff is NOT dessert, but it is really damn good, and I’m eating a ton of it lately.  I WILL conquer the entire watermelon this week, you guys.

3.  My ice cream maker. 

I can’t believe I let this thing wilt in a box for a year before I opened it.  Life-changing, I tell you.  Right now I’m still mastering the basics, but you’d better believe I have big plans for this bad boy.

4.  Lululemon.

Duh. 

Look, I feel like there are two schools of thought re: Lululemon.  There is the “uh, no, I’m not paying $40 for a tank top I’m going to sweat in, and those who do are clearly suckers,” and then there is the Kool-Aid crowd, like me, that is like “this is the best thing since sliced bread, and all the haters do not know what they are missing.  Namaste, bitches.”

I used to be part of the former crowd. 

And then I tried it.  And I tried a little more and a little more until I went on a birthday shopping binge.

I can’t brag about how long the stuff lasts, because I’ve only had it a few months, but…

a.  It’s super functional.  Tanks do not ride up and are long enough to cover my belly.  The pants do not sag and they make your ass look awesome.  There are all kinds of little details on things to make them more pleasant to wear—zipper pockets and garages, thumb holes, a place to stash your key while you run, et cetera.

b.  It’s super comfortable.  It only gets more cozy with washing.

c.  It’s versatile. You can work out in it, but you can also go grocery shopping in it and not look like a scrub.  I wear it when I travel and it’s comfortable enough to sleep in on the plane but nice-looking enough that I don’t feel like a college kid.

5.  Raw feeding.

Can you see how positively porky and alert Southie’s looking?

We’ve had some challenges, like when I accidentally gave her food that was still a bit icy yesterday and she vomited it up all over, but I can see her transforming every day and it makes me happy.  She’s always had crappy skin and lackluster fur but she’s looking prettier every day.

We are switching the other two monsters soon and I’m looking forward to it.

6.  CheckPoints.

So fun.  Today, while I was waiting for my prescriptions, I scanned a bunch of stuff and earned 500 points!  (If you don’t have it yet, download it and enter Brie2011 for your bonus code to get extra points.)  I’ve already redeemed several rewards.  Something for nothing=win.

What are you obsessed with?

So, today, I was craving hummus from my favorite Mediterranean place.  I had packed my normal healthy lunch, but was grumping because it wasn’t REALLY what I wanted.

And then, my boss was like, “Hey, Brie, business lunch with a colleague, let’s go.” 

And so I was like, “Uh, okay.  Where are we going?”

And she was like, “I don’t know, what do you think?”

And then I was like, “MEDITERRANEAN PLACE.”

And she was like, “Great choice!  Way to be decisive.”

And then I stuffed myself silly with hummus, pita, and lemony chicken, and all was right with the world.  Except I still have a stabbing pain that is kind of harshing my mellow. 

I combined a few elements of my lunch that I didn’t eat for my afternoon snack—a delightful summer fruit salad with watermelon, strawberries, and pineapple.

I’m taking a rest week this week from the gym.  It’s been so long  since I’ve taken a rest week that I’m just going with it.  I actually wanted to run after work today, but my…issue…was not cooperating, so I went home.

I immediately saw these and knew they needed to be turned into banana muffins.   Specifically, Leah’s recipe, found here.

They are totally as good as she says they are.  Tim and I split one after dinner…

…which was this very unattractive, but delicious, crockpot salsa chicken over brown rice.

I was all good and tracked calories today, but the lunch out threw me off and I just feel like tracking calories for meals out is an exercise in nailing Jell-o to the wall.   My meal was healthy—grilled chicken, olive oil, hummus, and pita—and that’s really all I care about.  Also, I was so satiated that I did not do any random snacking today, which is usually something I really struggle with.   So, anyway, I’m happy with how I did food-wise today, and I think I’m going to start focusing on goals like “no more random pretzel vat drive-bys” rather than tracking calories, since I’ve burned out on that a bit lately.

Also, I bought Buckley a new collar today, since he broke his, presumably while “fucking with shit,” which is one of his main hobbies.   I’m kind of obsessed with how cute and appropriate it is, given that he is the master of destruction.  (It’s from Etsy seller SweetPicklesDesigns—check her stuff out!  It’s all super cute.   I had a hard time passing up this adorable robot collar, too.)

Unrelated: Susan is basically my Canadian twin, and we’ve “known” each other online since 2008 through our blogs and various forums and Twitter.  She received some devastating news today, and could use some extra support and love.  Please hop on over to her blog and leave her some hugs and prayers.

After all the birthday indulgence this weekend, I just wanted fruits and veggies today.

Lunch was a giant spinach salad, carrots with hummus, watermelon (I WILL CONQUER YOU), and a mini Babybel.

There will be a lot of Mojo bars on the blog in the coming weeks.  They were giving out $.50 off one bar ($.99 each, normally) coupons at Target, and I stocked up.   Today I had a Peanut Butter Pretzel one.

For dinner, we had some whole wheat cheese tortellini with tomato sauce, and I had another giant bowl of watermelon.  I can’t get enough!

So, I didn’t work out today.

Okay, so this is kind of hard for me to talk about.

I have a chronic skin condition that I’ve never mentioned on the blog.  Sometimes, I barely remember I have it and feel fine.  Most days, it’s bothering me a bit, but doesn’t interrupt my daily life.  Once every few months, it flares up, is incredibly painful and impairs my ability to move without serious pain.

Today was one of the latter. 

I finally buckled down and made an appointment with a dermatologist today.  I’ve seen doctors before, but never a dermatologist because of insurance issues.  The doctors have pretty much told me, “Well, live with it, or get a really invasive skin graft that will give you lots of scars and force you to take a ton of time off work.  Oh, and it might not work anyway.”  Which…I’m not willing to go quite that far, yet.   But I’m hoping that the dermatologist will have other solutions I can try.

I wanted to swim today, but putting a swimsuit on was out of the question.  And I can barely walk without without pain, let alone run.  I could probably lift, but today I was just hurting (think: a million tiny papercuts with every step) and wanted to relax at home.

I don’t know if this is going to turn into a full-on rest week, or what.  If I’m all better tomorrow, maybe I’ll hit the gym, but I’m just going to play it by ear.  Please don’t worry about me—this isn’t, like, curl up in agony pain, and it’s certainly not fatal or anything, but it does really kind of suck.  On top of everything else, I feel kind of guilty for not going to the gym, even though I know I just need to chill for a few days.

How do you deal with not being able to work out? 

There are some meals you just can’t get in December.

Steak, potatoes, and corn on the cob made on the grill, and a big bowl of watermelon.

Today was not really blog-worthy.  After being awake for about 20 hours straight, I crashed last night, woke up in the morning fairly useless and spent the day on the couch watching Gilmore Girls and alternately napping and cuddling with Southie.  I’m still kind of exhausted tonight.

I did manage to clean toilets, vacuum, and do three loads of laundry.  But exercise was not happening.

I also purchased an entire watermelon at the store because the whole thing was $3.99, and the half watermelon was $4.25.  Huh?  Tim doesn’t like watermelon, so I see this as a personal challenge.

My heart is so happy lately because our little girl is finally back.

We still have challenges coming up that make me incredibly anxious at times, but I know that as long as we’re all together and healthy we will be okay.

I have a good feeling about 27.

I’m so relieved to be an odd age again. 

Today was a SUPER long day, but in a really great way!

My alarm went off 4:30 am Eastern time, aka 3:30 Central time.  I threw my new birthday present on and headed down to get a cab.

Well, for some random reason, cabs in DC don’t like credit cards.  So they had to call me a special one that never came.  After some antsy pants, I found an ATM and got cash and hit the road.

Except, in an interesting twist of karmic fate, there was a major triathlon in DC this morning, and pretty much every route to Dulles was closed.  So we had to go way out of the way to Maryland, and I was pretty convinced I was not going to make my flight for awhile.

The cabbie kept going on about how triathlons (or, as he described it to me, “run, bike, swim, all of that”) were such a waste of police power and public resources.  I kind of sank down in my seat and tried to not look athletic.

Thankfully, birthday luck smiled on me and I made it to the gate JUST in time to grab a breakfast sandwich and iced coffee, which I ate in record time.  (Fact: I hate eating meals on planes.  I don’t enjoy food smells on flights so I try not to subject anyone else to mine.)

Anyway, short uneventful flight to Midway, potty break, short uneventful flight to Kansas City, and I was home and Tim was waiting for me!

Then, when we got home, it was presents time!

My presents came in the form of gift cards and “this is on the way from Amazon,” but that’s totally okay by me!

From Tim, I got the perfume I’ve been lusting after (Marc Jacobs Lola) since I smelled it in Los Angeles on the way, and Food Network Magazine for my long flights, and a box of chocolates, and from my mom and sister, I got more Lululemon gift cards, which I promptly spent online!

I picked out two more Cool Racerback tanks (I’m obsessed), one in a print called “retro camo”, and one in heathered Tango Red:

Plus the Gather & Crow crops in hopes that they come with a great butt like this:

And the Run: The Fastest shorts:

All that shopping made me hungry, so it was time for a quickie lunch of Easy Mac and a yogurt bowl:

And, naturally, I spent the afternoon doing what makes me happy—grocery shopping, hanging out with Tim, and cuddling 2/3 of our pets.  (Buckley is NOT a cuddler.)

Tim realized he hit the wife jackpot when he asked what I wanted to do for my birthday dinner and I said “Chipotle.”  So we did.

And then I made myself a birthday cake.  This one, specifically, except I replaced “rasp” with “straw” because strawberries and chocolate are my favorite sweet combination.  (Except, oddly, chocolate covered strawberries themselves are not my favorite things.)

The thing is…I can bake a tasty cake.  But I can’t bake a pretty cake.

I’m pretty sure this cake is going to fall apart sometime in the next 24 hours, because I was too impatient to wait for the ganache to set and half the filling leaked out all over the cake plate.

Also, it looks like a boob.  Maybe I’m just tired.

Time to go cut into this bad boy and hit the sack.  I’ve been awake for nineteen hours straight!  I can’t wait to sleep super late tomorrow and be a total slug.

Thank you for all the birthday wishes! 

1. I cannot burp. I try, and it winds up sounding like a cat with a hairball.
2. When I was little, I wanted to be a gymnast, a talk show host, a geologist, and a gorilla. I specifically wanted to be a gorilla because people told me I couldn’t.
3. My favorite color is blue.
4. Dan Savage has been in my car.
5. I am afraid of ketchup. When I was little, I thought it was gross and all the other kids thought it was funny to throw and squirt ketchup packets at me. It makes me clammy and nervous to be around it or see a picture of it.
6. I do not like live music.
7. I do not like NPR.
8. I have two scars on my right elbow from falling on my Rollerblades when I was 13.
9. My sister and I are firm believers that all guys named Matt are bad news bears.
10. I played the oboe and French horn through high school and was in the Rose Parade in 2000.
11. I can sleep through anything, including fireworks and Milhouse peeing on the carpet. It is a legitimate concern of mine for when we have babies.
12. My middle name is Michelle.
13. I have never been camping and I’d like to keep it that way.
14. I would eat Kraft macaroni and cheese every day if I could. (I attempted this my 1L year and yeah, didn’t end well.)
15. I like reading critical television analysis.
16. I am self-conscious about the size of my noggin.
17. Once, The Singing Bee made me cry.
18. I always spell the word "cantaloupe" wrong. Maybe I should eat more honeydew.
19. I have had a series of weird jobs. I was the pee tester at a gynecologist’s office, I sold funnel cakes in a pioneer costume, and I drove the beer cart on a golf course in high school.
20. I stole Tim from a friend who had a crush on him. (She said it was okay!)
21. In high school, I was voted "most likely to become a dominatrix" by my AP History class.
22. My childhood nickname was Beezer, because I had asthma, and I was a wheezer. 
23. My family once went on vacation to see the world’s largest basket.
24. Barack Obama spoke at my college graduation.
25. I have trouble buying clothing with graphics or pictures on them.  It’s a commitment thing.
26. I am allergic to shellfish and pretty much everything  outdoors.
27. I used to sing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with “and a fartridge in a pear tree” until I was about ten, just because my mom thought it was funny.  I didn’t know it was actually partridge.