Halloween Decorations + A Spin Workout!

Happy Wednesday, bloggie friends!  I hope that you're having a wonderful week thus far.

Windy sure is.  Girlfriend gets like four 30-minute walks, or three 30-minute walks and one run, each day.  So this is her in the morning:

And afternoon:

These two times of the day might be my happiest and most calm.  I love walking and running with her in the morning, and walking her in the afternoon just seems like a great way to unwind from my day.

Side note:  I know that this is cliche as all getout, but I can't wait to run with my Husky in the snow.  She'll probably be way better at it than me.

As for me thus far, Monday morning started with a solo spin.  I wasn't completely alone in the spin room for once; there were a few people chatting while working out.  It was nice!  I had my headphones in and watching "Will & Grace" on Hulu, and couldn't hear them, but I could tell they were having a good time.

BECAUSE I didn't feel like listening to music (?!!!! this doesn't really happen ever) during my spin sesh, I didn't have songs to apply certain spinning segments (i.e. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones = best climbing song of all time).  So I came up with a five-minute interval plan.  Here ya' go!



It's basically five minutes on, five minutes fast.  Remember to keep resistance on the whole time -- no one should be riding on "0"!:)

Harry and I tried something new:  this snack before dinner.  Not the snack part -- it was like an appetizer -- but it was...interesting...

...addicting...and interesting...try it.  Let me know what you think.

Tuesday morning, I took a blurry selfie while out on an easy three miler with Windy.  Good grief, she is getting faster as the weather gets cooler.  She tries to pull me for a little while at the beginning of our runs, as I yell "I'm not a sleddddddd!".  She eventually slows down and evens out her gait.

Favorite snack ever?  I don't know.  But it's a classic, and it totally hit the spot. 

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In case your week is going kind of crummy, here are a couple of things that make me happy -- maybe they'll put a smile on your face.:)

My buddy Becky over on her Insta, inspiring everyone, and always making me smile!

And from the Runner's World magazine Instagram -- THANK YOU.

People who decorate their homes for Halloween rock my world.   These houses are around my neighborhood -- it's awesome knowing that I live next to such festive friends. 

Spooooooky!

And now that the weather is finally getting cooler (sorry, Suz -- that snow is well on its way), I feel like I can embrace all of the autumn things.  It's tough to do that when it's 80*F out, so I'm happy that the weather is finally coming around!

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What is your favorite season (not necessarily to run or train in, but just enjoy overall)?


Do you decorate your home for Halloween?  Yes, a Jack-o-latern totes counts.:P


How are your training sessions going this week?  What's up for today?
-YOGA- for me!  My calves are a little tight, so I'm sure they'll appreciate a good stretch.

Four things I focused on today instead of blogging

Get ready...this is going to be so exciting...

The new Snapchat filter.  I'm obsessed.

Making sure my students were movin' and groovin'.

Rocking the hell out of the elliptical.

And the reason why you should consider yourself lucky that I can even type this.

It was a pretty solid Monday.  I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.:)

Saddest.Day.Ever, and the dark history of the Treadmill

I started my yesterday off with another trainer ride on Lola.  I'm not going to lie -- it got a little mind-numbing, but I got through it.  I had to dig deep and convince myself to get through it.  Luckily, I have a great reminder of what my spirit theme is (thanks to Momentum Jewelry for being able to customize their pieces!).

#TuesdayTip -- Sometimes you gotta dig deep and find a word that relates to you, your training, your spirit or your purpose. Thanks for that custom button, @momentumjewelry.;) #momentum #sweatpink #IAMEMPOWERED #unstoppable

A photo posted by Tiffany (@thechiathlete) on Jan 10, 2017 at 6:38am PST

It was mostly a happy day up until this point -- remember my beloved avocado that I couldn't open the day before (because I derp'd and forgot a knife)?  W-E-L-L...

HOW SAD!  The poor thing couldn't wait for me to open it!:( I looked under all of that gunk, and there was more dead, gross gunk under it.

So my sweet potato and black beans went without a healthy fat for the day.

I knew that work husband had some chocolate-covered almonds (you can't let me know things like that) so I opened up his snack drawer and saw this -----> the snack lottery.  I quickly took a handful of what I was going in there for and shut the drawer.  I'm trying to forget it exists now...

Taco Tuesday = anything Tex Mex or otherwise in our house!  I picked up some of Costco's Chicken Tort Soup for Harry and I to eat for dinner.  Harry isn't the biggest fan of soup, and he even admitted that he considered stopping his run at Chipotle to pick up dinner, rather than eat this.

But he liked it!  I was so surprised!  Dunking TJ's tortilla chips in it was the equivalent to crackers in chicken noodle soup.;)

We ended up watching one more episode of "Black Mirror", and some of President Obama's Farewell Address.<3 #tears
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Some of us love the tready.  Some of us loathe it entirely and stay away from it as long as humanly possible.  Until one day, snow and ice cover the sidewalks, or there's a righteously dangerous thunderstorm going on, and you're "forced" to run on that bad boy.  You do everything you can to keep yourself entertained -- music, check; movie or something to read, check.  You put your water bottle in the (sometimes gross-looking) cup holder, and toss your towel onto the bar (or sometimes over the numbers on the panel, so you're not reminded of how far you HAVEN'T gone yet), and you press "Start".

I'm mentally moaning and groaning just thinking about the situation, one where I've been a ton of times.

But I won't do that anymore.

After reading this article about The History of the Treadmill, nope.  I'm not complaining any-more.  Apparently, they actually WERE torture machines for humans originally.  Prior to that, the treadmill was used to produce power from animals (this is where "horse power" came from!  That's not so much dark as it is pretty cool to know).  Eventually, though...!

(Source)

I found this video for you.  Lots of visuals.:)



"...banned for being excessively cruel..."

Lol yas.
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Do you like running on the treadmill?


What was your dinner last night?


Are you good at making sure your produce doesn't go bad?

-I cannot stand being wasteful with food.  In fact, it's one of my goals of 2017.  This was a devastating blow to my goal!

When I plan ahead

Happy new week!

Quick reality check:  Christmas is LESS THAN TWO weeks away.

*gasp*

Our Saturday funsies were cut short by thiiiiiiiiiis.  All of thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis.

Harry didn't feel awesome, either, so that did it.  We were supposed to go to a Christmas party, hosted by my Solemate and our Fearless Leader from the 606 running crew.  Duh, we were sad pandas about not being able to go.  We made up for it with some chicken fried rice and a Tarantino movie ("Django Unchained" -- watch it).

Sunday was also easy-breezy.  We head out into the white stuff to grab some lunch (smart) before heading to the grocery store.  Subway, ftw.

I didn't want a whole bag of chips, and since my new goal for 2017 is to be less wasteful, I opted to beg Harry to share with me.  He did.  This much.:)

Off we went!  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  I'm very thankful that I'm within walking distance to a grocery store.  It isn't our favorite spot to get food from, but it'll do in a pinch.  I didn't wear Das Boot for this trip, and rightfully so.  I needed to walk without it for the day (my "weaning workout"), plus I had no idea how the Boot would react with the snow and ice.  I reckon it wouldn't have been a comfortable walk.

I found this stuff...and I need it in my life.

We grabbed everything we needed for the week, including stuff for Harry to make chili.  Since there was about five inches of snow on top of my car, I decided to go ahead and clean it off.

Harry got a great shot of that.

Harry got to work as soon as he walked through the door.  I swear, his passion is chili-making.<3

Meanwhile, I took this opportunity to get cozy and enjoy my daily challenge (hot chocolate streak).

This weather is PERFECT for GoT watching!  Harry and I plowed through every episode earlier this year, but I felt like re-watching it.

And now I have the theme song stuck in my head.

This is my favorite place in the house when it's snowing.  Harry jokes about how much Chicagoans (and others -- Suz) loathe snow.  I love it and can never get enough of it.

Plus, my booty stays really warm (I'm sitting on the furnace cover...in my PJs...that's right!  I got home and got right back into them.  What?!:)

Dinner was served.

And I basically passed out after that feast.  Yummmmm.
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In other news, I am READY for this week!  Having everything done by Sunday evening A-L-W-A-Y-S makes me feel so great and enthused about the week to come.

Laundry done?  Yup.

Groceries in the fridge and pantry?  Yes...but you already knew that.

Meals planned out for the week?  Basically (enough to not bother me).

Bag packed for the gym?  YES!

Workouts set and ready to go?!  WELL, YEAH!
^^^ It's mostly spinning and cardio, but I've updated my calendar with the workouts that need to happen.

Something that I have learned to be 100% (seriously, 10 out of 10 times) true is that when I plan ahead, I am a total rockstar with my week.  Everything from my lesson plans to my workouts, I am ready and without any excuse.  The very fact that I'm prepared is actually exciting to me -- sometimes adulting is fun.

It obviously can't all be done on Sunday, but I do most of it + relaxing during that day.  I even have a little list that I go by that includes updating my calendar with workouts, finalizing a weekly summary for my administration so they know what I'm working on that week with the students, and packing my bag (I will never leave my brush or hair dryer at home again...NEVER EVER, I TELL YOU!).

One way or the other, when I have a bag packed and a plan for the week, I'm sooooo ready to rock.  It's no wonder why I've had an early bedtime for so very long; I really love to get up early and finalize my day, which makes me really stoked.  It's sort of like goal-setting for each day, and if you reach your goals, you can rest your head on the pillow that evening without a doubt in your mind that tomorrow you can do the same thing.  That sounds like a fun daily game, right?

Go rock it out today, friends!

ALSO?!  In case you DID NOT KNOW, Miss Marvelous herself had a beautiful baby girl this past week!  Congrats, lovey, and as always, thank you for being the best hostess with the mostest!

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How do you plan for your week?  (Or do you even?!:)

Do you lift weights?  How many days per week?

Do you like chili?  Are you a winter or spring chili fan?
-----All the way winter chili fan------


What's your favorite TV show to re-watch?
------Scrubs, 30 Rock, House, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, PLLs------

Good News! (With more to come!)

So get this!  After months of confusion (+frustration, mild depression, etc.) and a ton of indecisiveness from my Podiatrist, I went to get a second opinion.  While I really appreciated the help of the first guy, my new Podiatrist had MUCH more to say, MUCH more to do, and seems to be MUCH more motivated to find a way for me to get back to running, as well as back to Muay Thai.

So at my appointment last week, Dr. Chin prescribed an MRI, a night splint, and taping of my heel every single day.  Here's my new sexy sleepwear.:)

I have used tape before for minor snags, but this stuff leaves all those tapes in the dust!  I haven't had a lot of pain since taping my foot, and I've woken up without hobbling after getting out of bed since wearing the splint.  We're already off to a great start.

The MRI was fine (actually FUN -- the MRI tech was a riot, and threw on some 80s music for me to jam out to during the procedure [if you've ever had an MRI, you know that the machine doesn't make the most comforting noises]), and I even got a CD of my first professional photos of my left ankle.  Kind co

And the best news ever?  I don't have to wait too long to see Dr. Chin.  In fact, I see him this afternoon, and I promise that I'll update you tomorrow with the news.  Meanwhile, he (rightfully so) has restricted me from running and Muay Thai kickboxing.  After listening to every single Podcast from the Muay Thai Guys, I realized (finally) that I cannot let this injury get the best of me.  I'm still working on my cardio and boxing.

Spinning is taking place Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.  I missed classes!  While I can do a spin workout on my own, I really like Instructor Sarah, and it just makes sense for me to hit up her classes for variety.  Another great thing about taking classes is that I don't have to think about what I need to do next to get a great workout.

In related news, I had to miss my last class of the day one day last week for (one of) my doctor's appointments.  I came back the next day and found a few notes for me.  Yes, after ONE DAY.:D

Our past weekend with Soph was pretty normal...other than when she and Harry stayed up late to see the Cubs clinch the NLCS.  Fireworks went off all around apartment (we aren't even remotely near Wrigleyville, but this city has been waiting for this!), and Soph was pretty stoked about it.

This was the scene the next morning...

Soph had some homework to do.  Harry had work to do.  I got to chill and plan out my week.  After dropping off the Bug, we got home in time for some football and Sunday-afternoon-stuff...

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A few randoms:

Add me on Snapchat!  I'm OBSESSED WITH IT, and I love seeing everyone's stories!

Also, me...every single day...

Go check out Diva's baby sprinkle today!  Cutest and most gorgeous pictures ever!

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One question today:

Tell me ONE fantastic thing about your weekend, friend!