Coffee is Life

It's definitely been the type of week where I didn't know what day it was. I spent all day Saturday thinking it was Sunday. I even ordered my groceries and didn't realize until after the fact that I had another day to take care of it. Oh well, what's wrong with being one step ahead of my non-existent schedule?

Week 3 is checked off the training calendar. I think the most significant workout was my Fartlek on Thursday (6/9). It was somewhat of a pyramid workout, increasing the time with each section. We had 3 x 3, 2 x 2, 1 x 1, and then back up. I ran the longest hard effort I have in forever, a total of 4:00 minutes. Doesn't sound that long to many but running that to as close to 8:20-40 as I can is a mind f*ck in itself. I completed the workout and patted myself on the back as I always do. You see, I run solo 100% of the time now. I know people who run in the area but there are some roadblocks in the way: I'm not comfortable being around people yet and they are a heck of a lot faster than I am. I do what my coach tells me and that's enough for me. My introvert self is happy being alone in my own element with my audiobook in-ear. Right now, I'm in the middle of Matt Fitzgerald's "Running the Dream" and it is fantastic. Resonating with this one is easy because it's set in Arizona and he's running with NAZ Elite, a team of amazing runners who run for Hoka One One, including the queen of Flagstaff, Steph Bruce. All of Matt's books have been a hit in my library. If you are into audiobooks, might I suggest checking out Libro.fm. You can select a local bookstore and when you purchase a book, they get the payout. I know Kindle is the end all be all of all things books nowadays it seems but hey, let's keep the little guys open. And support your local libraries!

Anyway, back to running. So my knee was talking to me this week. Yep, you guessed it. The same one that gave me trouble last year and put me in physical therapy for four months. I still do my exercises religiously and take more time than I ever have with recovery movements, icing, and Epsom on a weekly basis. Nothing is perfect forever, though. The soreness comes and goes. My therapist told me I wouldn't be completely pain-free but I'd be much better than I was and I definitely have been! I don't mess around with any weird sensations, soreness, or pain while I think most runners "walk it off" or slap some KT tape on anything to mask whatever may be developing. I didn't spend over $400 (per MONTH, and yes, that's with insurance) in therapy to just mask the pain. I communicated with my coach on Friday that it wasn't feeling too hot. I had a bike workout that day, which was good. Biking doesn't bother it. She gave me the best advice, as usual. Saturday morning I opted to bike instead of doing my long run that would have involved some hard efforts in the middle. Normally I'm completely fine with this, however, I was really looking forward to this workout. I sucked up my sulking face and did the same efforts on the bike which turned out to be harder than I thought they'd be. Never underestimate cycling. It will truly kick your butt. Sunday's are very much a relaxing and "do absolutely nothing" days around here. I cook a big breakfast, we drink our coffee on the patio, and typically read the rest of the day until dinner. My weekly long Epsom baths have been Sunday afternoons and they've been the BOMB! I throw in some peppermint oil to clear my head and it's just.....a vacation in my bathroom. Maybe one day we'll have one of those fancy soaking tubs you see in mansions. Either way, it's Monday. My knee feels much better. Rest will not kill you. Listen to your body. You won't lose fitness taking a day or two off or switching workouts. 

I wanted to close out today by sharing something I tried the other day. So, I'm a coffee snob. I'll admit it. I don't drink frap's from Starbucks. I don't really like any frozen type of coffee drink. I don't put 10 pumps of whatever in my cup. I grind my beans fresh every morning after measuring them out to a specific gram. I have an expensive coffee machine and a fancy burr grinder. Roll your eyes and shoot me. We make coffee at home every day so its paid for itself. I used a basic Mr. Coffee drip machine for the longest time then graduated to a Keurig. When I met my husband, he used a french press. I had no idea how to even operate it. Here we are now, some 8 years later, and I want to be the world's best barista. I applied for a job at Starbucks hoping to just learn how to use a proper espresso machine. While I typically drink my coffee black, I've been craving a flat white lately. If you aren't familiar with that drink, it's basically some espresso with a lot of milk. Being vegan, I wasn't sure how it'd be with almond milk. We also don't have an espresso machine (oh but do I want one so bad). I watched a video of a lady making one at home just using a french press. I thought to myself, "I'M TRYING THIS." Here's how it went....

This is our electric kettle. I heated up some water.

This is where the beans are poured in for grinding.

I set the machine way down to get a very fine grind. The benefits of a burr grinder are the multiple grind settings.

I threw some milk in a cup and microwaved it on and off until it reached a temperature of 155 degrees F. Milk has to be a specific temperature for it to foam otherwise it's total crap.

I brewed a mock "espresso" in the french press. It actually wasn't too bad and after a few stirs, it had some crema. Crema is the layer that sits on top of the espresso, typically a light brown color.

I poured the hot milk into the french press and proceeded to foam it. This is done by literally moving the filter up and down for about 30 seconds. You can feel the milk get thicker. 

I was super surprised that it actually did indeed create a decent amount of foam for non-dairy milk.

Yeah, I know, no fancy cup art here. You then pour the milk on top of the espresso. It wasn't half bad!

It was a fun little experiment. One day I'll have an espresso machine. In like 10 years because they're a million dollars. We typically buy our coffee local from Press Coffee. I like supporting local coffee businesses plus, they roast our coffee just a few days before it arrives on our doorstep. Pay attention to your roasting dates. It makes a big difference. 

Okay, I'll get off my coffee high horse. Enjoy your week.

We Bought a Bike!

Finally, the post you've all (like 6 of you) have been waiting for. Cycling is something I've always been interested in. We used to go on bike rides in Michigan and I'd hit the bike at the gym for cross-training, but my husband and I started talking about the idea of just getting one for the house. We both own mountain bikes and I'll be honest, they haven't seen much dirt. Michigan doesn't have mountains but boy oh boy, Arizona does! We're not at that level yet. Cardio fitness needs to be built up before you just go balls to the wall. Yes, I am a distance runner, but when I'm on a bike, it's a whole different heart rate experience. Anyway, let's get into the nitty-gritty, shall we?

There she is. The NordicTrack s22i joined our family a few weeks ago. After I shared the news on my Instagram (@britanyg), I got an influx of messages asking how it is, why this, why not the Peloton? In all honestly, I would have had a Zwift setup if we had the extra EXTRA money. But, that requires a road bike, a trainer, and the actual program, all of which would have cost way more in the end. Maybe in the future! But alas, I'll tell you why we chose this set up over anything else on the market, including the largely-worshiped Peloton. Now, I will throw up a disclaimer and say I think the Peloton is a great bike, depending on what your riding needs are. I know a lot of people that own one and love it! This is nothing against them or the bike. Keep on riding your ride! This post is obviously full of my own opinions and hopefully won't come off as bias. I love everybody no matter what you do!

We weighed lots of pros and cons. We even test rode it a handful of times before taking the dive. Getting a bike of this magnitude is an investment. So why a bike, anyway? Why not a treadmill? Well, my husband isn't a runner. I prefer something we both can get great use out of. I had been looking to part ways with the gym for some time as I wasn't even going and doing everything at home, including my yoga routines. When he introduced the idea, I was totally in. There were a few aspects that really sold us on this bike. First and foremost, the warranty. NordicTrack offers a 10-year frame warranty, 2-year parts, and 1-year labor. This is compared to Peloton's 1 year for everything. Speaking of warranties, the NordicTrack comes out of the box with toe cages so anyone can ride the bike right away without having to buy clip-in cycling shoes.

We opted to change our pedals to Shimano SPDs, a very easy flip. The kicker? This doesn't void the warranty. If you change either the pedals or the seat on a Peloton, you can say bye-bye to the warranty. You don't absolutely need to ride a spin bike with clip-in shoes but it will make your ride a little more comfortable. I recently purchased these Bontrager shoes for $80 and they work perfectly. I also like that they don't look like your traditional shoes.

The second feature that I really loved is the fact that the incline and resistance happen automatically with whatever ride you're doing. Your trainer controls it. You can definitely opt in to change it manually but taking the guesswork out of it is nice. Maybe that's just me being lazy. I've done plenty of CycleBar rides and have turned many knobs but to just focus on my ride is great! 

I actually had no idea it went to a negative decline until I was doing a ride. Talk about a kick upon those RPMs! If you want to know what to expect ahead of time, you have the option of watching a graph.

You can also see a leaderboard in that picture. I don't really care about anyone else since I'm not a competitive person but if you're into trying to catch that number one spot, you can filter it to show people in your age group, specify male or female, and many other things. Now, this is a good time to mention the spin classes. Obviously, Peloton is notorious for having that spin gym vibe, offering live classes you can attend from your own living room. While NordicTrack does have a variety of spin type classes, they aren't live. They are all pre-recorded. Clearly, that wasn't a selling point for me. 

If I wanted to just do spin-type classes all the time, we would have gotten the Peloton, but I want variety. The NordicTrack gives you the option of not only what you see up there but trail rides, road series, even complete tours. I think the coolest feature about riding is that it has Google Maps integrated. You can map out any ride you want and it'll follow street view as you go. 

Here's me riding down a road in my hometown of Rochester Hills, Michigan. This is a neat feature for me, as a runner. How? Maybe there's some new road I want to check out but not sure about the number of hills I might die on. Now I can ride it ahead of time. 

I'm in this Argentina series right now and it's been epic! Having the trainer ride along and coach you is super motivating and makes the time go by quicker than just pedaling away on a stationary bike. 

I know, I already posted this picture, give me a break. Another feature I really like is that the massive 22" turns a complete 360 degrees. Some spin rides have workouts where they have you get out of the saddle and do some bodyweight moves or stuff with weights. There is also a full library of workouts that don't include riding such as yoga, HIIT, strength, and more. It's nice to be able to turn the screen and not have to have the bike in the way. The bike does come with 3lbs weights at no extra cost.

Even though the pictures make this bike look massive (maybe it's just the screen), it easily fits into small spaces. We have ours in our guest room right now along the side of the bed. It's only 51" wide! 

I think that pretty much highlights all of the reasons we like this bike and decided to go with it over the Peloton. I can enjoy a spin class but also ride in Moab or France if I wanted to. Do I have any cons? Sure. The incline feature can be a little loud. The touchscreen can be slightly laggy sometimes but it's nothing that completely annoys me as much as my 11-year-old Macbook Pro. The only other con is that there is no Bluetooth option. While we don't have to worry about waking up kids since we don't have any or disturbing each other because it's in a completely different closed-off room in the house, it'd be nice to have the option to have wireless headphones. However, the volume controls let you change the music, the trainer's voice, and the overall volume all separately. If you want to ride without music, you can choose to do so. Obviously, none of these were huge factors into us changing our minds.

There are a lot of negative reviews out there for this bike, most of which revolve around how much "technology" is built into it turning into more fixing later down the road. There are also a ton saying they ripped off Peloton. I mean, every company rips off each other eventually, right? I'm sure we'll see something even more epic in the next year from someone else. I've read that some people returned it after a few weeks when it started making weird noises. One fitness equipment store we visited even had a couple in there butt into us asking if they carried the bike, calling it a "Chinese piece of crap". I laughed as I walked out. We haven't had any issues and so far, we are absolutely loving it. You can't rely on everything you read from the general public. 

I'm sure there is a lot more I could talk about with this. If you want to know more, you can comment below and I'll do my best to answer your question. Whatever you may be riding, I hope you enjoy every minute of it! 

Mindshift to Enjoyment

"I was ready to come in last place if that's what it took to finish." - Courtney Dauwalter

Honestly, that quote is me right now. And, well, you know Dauwalter is one of my biggest inspirations. If you have a spare 38 minutes, you really should check out the latest video documenting her 200+ mile race. I'll link it here.

I really wanted to start with that quote, though, because I've had a big mind-shift this past month or so. I really use to obsess with trying to be fast all of the time. Literally, if I didn't feel like I was working hard, breathing deep, and didn't have the taste of blood in my throat, the workout was pointless. Instead of beating myself up and comparing myself to others, I've shifted toward running just to run. Enjoying every mile. Still pushing myself but not the point of draught. There is so much uncharted territory out there, even in this small town we live in, that I have yet to set foot on and that's more exciting right now than wishing I was better or sulking after a bad run. I've been living more in the moment with each run and it's really brought out more of my love of this sport. I still have personal records I'd like to close books on but for now, let's enjoy the ride of distance.

This past week brought some really great, quality miles! The weather here in Arizona is literally perfect. Breezy, 85 degree days with the sun rising by 6:00am. It almost pained me to cycle indoors but alas, we still have yet to look over our bikes since the move to make sure everything is in working order. Let's take a look at this week's workouts:

• 

  45 min spinning

• 

  4/1 - 5 easy miles

• 

  4/3 - 3 miles w/strides

• 

  4/4 - 3 easy miles

• 

  4/5 - 6 mile trail run

The biggest takeaway from these would have to be Friday. I know I've mentioned before but in case you were absent, I said I'd like to get more into trail running. We set out on a new trail in town, Andrew-Kinsey. It connects to Sunrise, the trail we had done previously. The terrain of Andrew-Kinsey is so much better for running at a more consistent pace. It's like a semi-groomed single-track trail with your steady climbs and fast descents. The Adero Canyon Trailhead is super nice and you pass by some extremely expensive homes on the way down the road to it. My Peregrine shoes are holding up very well and I'm glad I decided on them in the beginning. I didn't include the data but my husband and I did a 10-mile hike Saturday morning. After a 6-mile trail run, my feet were barking after but I think I can say that for the both of us. It was, again, gorgeous out. We really are blessed to live here with access to so many things to do outdoors. And yes, the desert does have flowers. I have proof:

Another goal, besides cycling once a week, is to read more. It's hard to time manage everything else going on but I find it relaxing and inspiring. Before we left for Michigan, I saw a friend reading Deena Kastor's book and wanted to check it out for myself. What a winner! It was really interesting to follow her career through college and to see her journey after. You can really connect with the highs and lows, especially if you are a runner yourself. I really related to the part where she talked about feeling by herself after finding that the men's team didn't like her. Although I don't have experience with running with men, I know what it's like to feel alone in something you love. I highly suggest picking it up from your local library or reading it on your Kindle. My next read will be Meb's 26 Marathons, which I received as a birthday gift from my parents. How could you not want to read this? I'll review it once I'm done. In the meantime, you can check out a great interview he did with my favorite podcast, Marathon Training Academy.

As we talked about today, the weather is perfect. With temperatures reaching into the mid-90s, meal prep took a shift to a refreshing salad. I think I hit a home run with this one not only with the veggie servings but the dressing! If you're a fan of simple yet delicious, look no further than this Thai quinoa salad with a peanut butter dressing. Holy hades (I said it again, Steph), I could eat the dressing alone right out of the mixing bowl. I think it took me maybe 15 minutes to put enough lunches together for both me and my husband? I cook the quinoa in my Instapot so it's done in 6 minutes and let it cool in the fridge while I chop the veggies. I'm sure you could cut time with that as well by using a food processor. I always rely on my portion fix containers to keep me in the game by hitting my eating goals. Really though, give this salad a go. If you're dying to add meat, I'm sure some grilled chicken would be a fine addition. I'll link the recipe here. Happy prepping!

Thai Quinoa Salad w/Portion Fix

Alright, folks, that's the end for this week. Keep an eye out on Wednesday when I drop a new 'Wine of the Week'! Thanks for stopping by.