It was the right thing to do, and my THEME SONGS*

Yesterday was mine and Harry's anniversary!  We're going to celebrate for real this Friday, but as for yesterday, Harry wore the shirt I got for him last year.  Thanks, Oiselle, for making things for Grooms.:)  He wore this same shirt last year doing a treadmill workout the morning of our wedding.

While Harry was out, Sophs and I got to work on a "No Boys Allowed" fort.  We pretty much dominated the front room.

After Harry got back from his run, I hit up the trails with Lola for a 60-minute (+ 5 minutes) ride.

It was about 91*F when I head out, and it was either going to a forest preserve or the Lakefront (no shade).  I opted for the shady ride, and did NOT leave the house without a bottle full of Nuun Active. I'll do anything to avoid the bonk on the bike.

I got a picture of this deer's booty for you while cycling.  I'm soooooooooo talented.

I immediately picked up Harry and Sophia to get our free Slurpees from 7-Eleven >>>>> CELEBRATION SLURPEES!  The Slurpees at our local 7-Eleven had workers on the Slurpee machine handing them out.  Forget getting any other size today, haha.  I got SUPER LUCKY -- the camp kids were heading over from the park after hitting the pool, and Sophia says there were ~130 of them walked in right after I got my Slurpee.  Man, oh man.

Ah.  That's how we celebrate.

Back to dominating the front room.  It was the right thing to do.

Harry has classes Monday (and Wednesday) evenings, so while he was off, Sophs and I treated ourselves to our favorite meatball subs with the best home fries you'll ever taste.  They don't photograph well, but they are delishhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The rest of our evening = Watching "Friends".  Sophs absolutely loves it, and I don't ever mind watching it.  In fact, I could watch it forever and ever.
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Marcia, MCM Mama Runs, and My No-Guilt Life would like to know...

You know, I couldn't possibly choose just one.  I have several songs that I have Easter-egged throughout my playlist (I make sure to spread them out)

Most of the songs that make me go-go-go are mostly upbeat in tempo and in spirit.  Some of them have that competitive sound to them, and others are put on my playlist to make me really enjoy the moment, even provoke tears...;)  This is my half marathon playlist --- I have a few this year that I'll be rocking it to!

FYI:  "Let It Go" is an absolute MUST.  I hopped on that guilty pleasure train late, and I'm still on it, chooo choooooooo.

I just figured it'd be way more fun to make a list for you, rather than throw out one hour and forty-four minutes of melodic fury by the way of YouTube vids.;)  Some of those toward the end are the ones that will BRING.IT.HOME for me!  Do you put your best music toward the end of your playlists, too?

Thanks for the link-up, ladies!
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Are you injured right now?  With what?


Did you get your free Slurpee yesterday?  


Were/Are you a "Friends" fan?

The brands we love (and want them to love us)

Monday mornings are perfect for me to get in a recovery spin.  I keep the workout very light, very few climbs, unless my legs feel pretty good.  I keep the resistance on (P.S. never ride with *no resistance*.  Like, ever.) a good gear that's a medium push for me, then mess with my RPMs.

Also, you gotta do sprints whenever this song comes on, whether you're running or cycling.  #truestory

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd I had the whole spin room to myself.  I actually find it pretty easy to motivate myself, no matter how early it is.

I keep forgetting to update you with my breakfast.  Ruuuuuuuude.  It was oatmeal.:)  With banana.:)  And PB.:)  And chia seeds.:)  (Oh yeah, I'm on that bandwagon now.:)

LUNCH was something quick and yummy.

As was my early afternoon snack.

Another teacher at school got these tissues for me.  Bless her.

(get it?  OH I'm a barrel of monkeys today.)

Late afternoon snack.  I don't know about you, but I could eat avocado with anything, and I could eat it every single day.

Dinner was penne with a delicious sauce.  Harry got home, exhausted, and since I was ready to hit the sack early, we made something super easy for Meatless Monday (oh yeah, we're doing that now, too).

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Today on Tuesdays on the Run, the topic was "Dream Sponsors" and brand ambassadorships.  I gotta say, though, I'm pretty blessed in that department.

I'm one of the Locals.  It's pretty much the best.:)

LEGEND Compression - If you want to give them a try, use the code AmbFriend2016 for 15% off!

All of the #StayHydrated NUUN!

And just in case you didn't know!  Get a few bucks off that RnR race you wanna run with my code!

And just for giggles ------------>

(My Instagram: TheChiAthlete)

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What's your dream brand sponsor?!



Have you run a Rock 'N' Roll race?  Which one?

What's your breakfast today?

My Jeep is fixed, a yummy Friday, and Patience, Grasshopper (hip update!)

So yeah, after the clutch went out on my Jeep, and my wonderful friends took me to and from work (so happy that I have close people near and in my 'hood!), I FINALLY got Obi back on Thursday evening.  I had some downtime, so I hit up Starbucks for dinner.

Yup.  Dinner.

AND IT WAS DELICIOUS!  If you're ever in a pinch for a meal, I suggest this one.

Then, since I was in the area, I hit up one of Sophia's karate classes.  They work on throws and rolls on Thursday nights, and even though she gets clobbered for the majority of the time, this is her favorite class.:)

I adore her running form.

I finally got in a good sweat on Friday morning with my cardio bunny buddy.

I was SO HAPPY to rock out some endorphins, and ready to rock my Friday at school.

NUUN Active tablet, TJ's Organic Strawberry Toaster Pastries, and a 'nanner for breaky...way to start off a Friday, Tiff!

One prep period, two classes and some student drama later, and it was luuuuuuuunchtime.  TJ's Chicken Noodle Soup, an organic Gala apple, and a NUUN Energy tablet (post-lunch is my Kindergarten class ---------> I NEED THE ENERGY!) for the win.

We're three-ish days away from finding out if we got lucky in the NYC Marathon lottery!  Did you enter?

Three more classes, more drama (being a teenager is tough), and I was on my way home.  A little meal before a power nap was just what I needed.

What...?  You don't put chips on your sammich?  What a weirdo.:D

DINNER ----------> Harry and I picked up Fearless Leader Greg and Solemate Steph for a double date!  We hit up a Thai restaurant for some deliciousness.

And then we were off to the theater!  We watched a series of short plays at the Profiles Theater, all superb and thought-provoking.  Plus, we had a friend in the play.  We felt special.

Awkward photo time.  Greg's there...see?

A solid way to end the workweek, for sure.:)
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In other news, my house is spotless.

So, I noticed on Thursday morning while chatting with work husband that my hip was feeling a lot better.  Like, it isn't clicking that much anymore, and I can bounce around and it doesn't hurt.

In other words

I AM SO TEMPTED TO RUN.

HOWEVER

I took an oath.  A promise to myself.  Three weeks to heal (there's no real reason why I chose three weeks, other than I was three weeks away from an 8K when I decided to take this rest).  One more week will not hurt.  In fact, it'ls probably going to help.  I just have to focus on that.

I'm dealing with the urge by:
1.)  Creating new playlists.
2.)  Watching some of my favorite race courses (see above).
3.)  Going over some details of upcoming races and events.
4.)  Getting my house and life more organized (or as some people might call it,"Spring cleaning" after having a ton of extra time).

I'll be back in some beautiful new Brooks running shoes before I know it.  The process is worth it.:)

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What do you have going on this weekend?!

How do you stay motivated when you're having to take time away from something?

Do you have any races or events coming up soon?

Thankful, Thoughtful Thursday

Th-th-th-th-th, that was fun.

Thursday -------->

1.  Two things about this picture:  I'm thankful to be a Nuun Ambassador -- it makes me feel like a BAMF to be racing and loving every hydrated step with this brand.  And I'm thankful for a waterproof phone case.  It has opened a whole new (awkward) world of taking photos for me...as you can seeeeeeeeeeee.

2.  I'm thankful for humans like Jillian Michaels.  Life can get really serious, but it doesn't always have to be.

3.  My 5th and 6th grade girls are loving their jump rope unit, and that makes me SUPER GRATEFUL!  Why?  Because they still love to play at their age.  

Side note:  If you're going to jump rope, rock out this Pandora station.

4.  I can't thank classroom teachers enough for coming into the gym and playing with their students.:)

5.  See last week's post HERE.:)

6.  I'm thankful that my husband came to get me from the car (our house is half a block away from here).  I WAS NOT GETTING OUT.

7.  I'm grateful for friends who understand.

8.  It's times like these that make me kind of thankful that I'm not running for a little bit.

9.  Thankful for students that give it their ALL!

10.  Two words:  WHICH WICH.

11.  I have ELEVEN THINGS today.  You're welcome?

SOLO SPINNING.  I'm happy that I can keep myself entertained.

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TELL ME --------> Three things you're thankful for!