Friday the 13th

Anyone else get a little superstitious on days like today? I mean, let's talk about that moon. The last full moon of this decade. DECADE. It's crazy that we're about to turn the clock to not just another year but another 10. 

12/11/2019, not my house^

Well, first and foremost, we've moved locations! WordPress was great to me but my hosting fees got way too high and, quite frankly, this is a hobby, and hobbies shouldn't cost a ton (running not included). I set out to do this for fun and not for a monetary value. The only other blogging site I knew of was Blogger so that's where we will call home for C&C for now! I'm still trying to tweak some things so it's going to look a little weird. I was able to import all of my old posts so if there is something, in particular, you remember reading about in the past, you can still try and search for it using the box on the left sidebar. 

Speaking of hobbies, I've taken up a new one! I've tried to really get into knitting these past few years but it just takes me forever. A friend suggested crocheting and boy, is it SO much better. And yes, it's a cheap hobby. I learned how to crochet watching YouTube. Yep, I'm not even kidding. You can learn anything on that dang website. I've finished two projects so far in a little less than a month's time and plan on finishing #3 by next week. Hooray for homemade Christmas gifts that don't break the bank!

My bag of tricks

So, how's running going? The miles are piling on. I texted my fellow Volée bird, who is coming into Phoenix to run the race with me, that she might have to piggyback me to the finish line. In all seriousness, workouts have been fine. I've accepted that I'll never be where I was at and, to be honest, I like going slow and steady. Time on my feet is more important than anything right now. I've managed to make it up to roughly 30-35 mile weeks so far. My longest jaunt has been 10 miles and it felt refreshing. I know I've written about it before but I'm so glad I've jumped off the "fighting for PRs" bridge and now float on the lazy river of actually enjoying what I'm doing. If you like getting those fast times, that's great! I found that it was really eating up my soul and I lost touch with why I'm a runner. I finally said to myself, "Hey, I have this crazy idea! Let's run a race and have fun for once!" 57 days to go. I have some big plans for post-marathon. I'll give you a hint: it involves more dirt and less pavement.

Post-10 mile run 😀

There is still time to register if you feel like flying to the Southwest to escape the winter blues. You can use the code BRITTERS10 and receive $10 off the half marathon or full marathon! Let me know if you're running! 

Let's backtrack to Thanksgiving week since, well, I haven't written in a while so why not a big 'ol recap. The family came to down for a few days. We managed to break a new Jenga record. We also visited Sedona, which is home to my favorite Starbucks. I know, that sounds super cheesy, right? But just check out this view:

Yeah, I could sit on that patio all day. I even managed to cook an entirely Vegan dinner.

Vegan spinach dip in bread bowls. Could carbs get any more glorious looking?

So, the second picture includes mashed red skins, homemade Vegan biscuits, Tofurky, Vegan stuffing, and Vegan green bean casserole. It was all seriously so good, even the family enjoyed it. Even the gravy was plant-based! I'll probably do a repeat for Christmas but swap out the "turkey" for Tofurky's ham roast. If it's as good as their Tofurky, it'll be another great treat. 

While we're on the subject of Veganism, if you remember, I took a pledge to become Vegan for 30 days in November. 

App: Quit Meat

I downloaded this fun little app called Quit Meat to track my progress. Now, this screenshot was on 12/2/2019. I managed to be Vegan for 28 of the 30 days. I had a few slips on foods I didn't even think twice on. It happens! I'm still very proud of myself for taking on this journey. I'm a data geek and it's cool to see all of this. I've decided to keep it going as long as I can. If I do manage to have something non-vegan but is vegetarian, you can add it in. For example, if you consume any type of dairy or eggs, you can input it into the app. I've been vegetarian for quite some time and barely consumed any dairy as is so the transition wasn't too difficult. I even managed to make dishes at restaurants Vegan. As I've mentioned on my Instagram, don't be afraid to ask your waitress if they have a vegetarian menu or if you can customize dishes. You'd be surprised how many places will go above and beyond to cater to different lifestyles. See, I said lifestyle and not diet. Because that's what it is. This isn't a temporary endeavor. It's great to see how the plant-based community is so much stronger than it ever has been. For the record, though, if you are a meat-eater, please know I don't think any less of you. You do you and if that means you like eating meat, great. Get on down with your bad self. I want my friends to know that I still respect them even if it means our eating choices are different. I would hope you'd think the same about me. This is a judgment-free zone! Just be open to what I eat. I bet I could blow your tastebuds away with the things I enjoy. I've voiced my opinion on this before and that wasn't really right of me to do so. Come on now, let's hug it out.

I don't have a recipe share this time around as I've been busy trying to move things about and whatnot. I haven't cooked anything epic in over a week! I do have recipes for my Thanksgiving dishes so let me know if you want any of those. For now, I leave you with Whole Food's Vegan margarita pizza. I ate 5 pieces. Carbs are good for you, don't know you this?!

We'll see you next time. Hopefully sooner than later. 

Tofurky Time

I think Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. Yes, family time is great, but I love food. Comfort food, to be exact. The tofurky is already purchased and I'm reviewing the rest of the menu after I write this. This will be my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian but since I'm trying this '30 Days of Vegan' for November thing, everything on the menu will coincide. So far, it's looking pretty friggin' delicious if I do say so myself. Trust me, there will be pictures shared after next weekend.




News flash: it's raining in Arizona!

Look at me, trying to be artsy from my office window. But yes, the rain is here. I find it entertaining because the news treats it as if it's a huge snowstorm in the midwest. They send anchors out to different parts of the state and keep asking what the conditions are where you're at. Yes, the rain here can create pretty hazardous situations. Flooding happens fairly quickly. The temperatures have dropped from 80s to 60s. I can't tell if I'm happy or sad but let's be honest, it's great for running.




Speaking of which, training is going well. We are officially 80 days away from the Mesa Marathon. I've been limited to running at the park because it's the only 'flat' part of town as hills still irritate my knee slightly. I don't know what's worse: treadmills or running the same loop for 5 miles.

I started breaking in my custom orthotics this week. They definitely give that extra support to my rather flat arches. Still have to train some anti-rotation issues and work on glute strengthening but Rome wasn't built in a day and luckily my (not always there) patience is doing well. I even won a contest at therapy and scored a new Hydroflak! Hurray!

Switching gears from feet to pedals, I spectated my first mountain bike race this past weekend. Cycling is definitely something I know I need to do more of, it's just the whole pushing myself to get out and do it thing. I have a decent mountain bike (Specialized) that hasn't seen any dirt. That needs to change.

Speaking of the holidays coming up, we're hosting, and that means cleaning time. I mean, I already clean every week because I'm OCD like that and have to always have a clean and organized environment but like extra EXTRA clean this time. While I've always used normal bleach-containing products and good 'ol fashioned Windex, it was time for a change. A change to something way more environmentally friendly and stuff I could use around the house without making my husband have an asthma attack from the fumes. I'm a big fan of listening to "How I Built This" on NPR. I've always seen Method items at Target but never really knew the back story until the creatures appeared on the show. It's nice to know that if I accidentally drank this stuff in my sleep, I wouldn't have to ring up poison control. I'm a big fan of all of it so far. I like the minty smell. The floor cleaner is the bomb! We even got the laundry detergent! Why the hell does normal laundry detergent have petroleum jelly in it? I've become an ingredient reading crazy person and not just for food. Yes, you will shell out a little bit more but trust me, it's worth it, not only for you but for your whole family.

There's honestly a bunch more stuff I want to write about but I'm going to save it for next time and jump to the part where I share a recipe! What's my biggest downfall in trying to be Vegan? Pizza! Yes, I know there are vegan options out there, but a good, brick oven cooked margarita pizza is my jam. I know there had to be other ways to try some other options at home since frozen pizza isn't my thing. Queue Sam from 'It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken', my favorite recipe website.

Holy matrimony, this was GOOD. Feast your eyes on a BBQ chickpea pizza, complete with red onion, some banana peppers, and vegan mozz cheese. The dough is even homemade because that's how we do it here. This was so simple to make and I was thoroughly surprised how good it tasted. I even dabbed each piece in some vegan ranch like your typical midwestern would. Highly recommend giving this one a try. I'll link the recipe here.




Alrighty, folks. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving if you are celebrating it. If you aren't, have a great week. Try to #OptOutside on Black Friday instead of bowing to the man. See you next time!

Achievement Unlocked

I didn't know whether or not to start this entry with my great news or to share the pizza I had. I'm going to go with the latter.

I take my snacks very seriously, you guys. Yes, this was a snack. Pizza is a very important food group in my life. If you've been living under a rock, Whole Foods has one hell of a salad bar, hot/cold bar, AND a pizza bar. This here is their vegan BBQ chicken 'za and it was fantabulous. And no, you don't have to be rich to shop there. That's a big misconception. It's quite affordable if you know to buy the right things. The end!




Just kidding.




Let's talk about why we're really here. I could go into this huge lengthy paragraph about therapy and what not but I'm a little busy today so let's make this easy: I GOT CLEARED TO RUN!

You and me both, Brad. My therapist said I could start with some walk/jog progressions. Nothing heavy or fast, just some light work. I'm totally okay with this because, well, I get to run! He also told me it's time for new shoes, which I was aware of, but appreciate him keeping an eye out for that. I was well overdue for a completely new analysis anyway. It's been a few years and I've just been buying the same shoes each cycle. I've been a huge fan of the Saucony Guide. I was told many years ago that I over-pronate and needed a good, stability shoe. It helped a ton. That was then, though.




Clearly there are no Hansons Running Shops in Arizona but damn, that would be awesome. I do truly miss them. Alas, I went to Road Runner Sports in Scottsdale, hopped on the treadmill for a gait analysis and was on some machine thing to measure whatever else it does. Side note, getting properly fitted for shoes is SO FREAKIN' IMPORTANT. Stop going to Dick's Sporting Goods and buying whatever shoe says "running" on the sign next to it. If you do this sport on the regular, do yourself (and your body) a favor and treat it the way it should be. The lovely people at our local running stores are there for a reason. Let them help you. If you PR, maybe send them a card or something.




Okay, phew. Back to the analysis. I learned so much. I don't pronate as much as I used to, my arches are flatter, and my true foot size (not shoe size) is a 7. I also would benefit more from a wide shoe. I literally said out loud to the poor guy, "NO WAY THIS IS RIGHT". You guys, change doesn't scare me in anything that doesn't involve running. When it's my running, I'm pretty set in my ways. I wear this shoe, these shorts, body glide these parts, same song, and dance every day. I think I scared him a bit but I reassured him that I trusted him and that I'm willing to try anything new. A clean slate, once again. I tried on the new Saucony Guides. Remember when I said I loved that shoe? I do not like the new model. It felt heavier and not as comfortable. I tried the Ride ISO and really liked it. The wideness was just right. The Brooks Ghost was too narrow and quite frankly, not for me. And then there was Hoka. I have never even put a pair of Hokas on my feet before but I always knew they were a great company. My husband is a huge fan and they are the only tennis shoes that have successfully fit his extremely picky feet. I put on the Clifton 6 and didn't want to take them off. I also tried the Bondi but the Clifton definitely was a gamechanger. I walked around. Walked some more. I ran on the treadmill. I was probably on the step right before you reach heaven. I walked around with one foot in the Ride ISO and one in the Clifton. Probably looked silly but whatever it takes. I made my choice and walked out joining team Hoka.

Does color really matter? No. But this shoe comes in black with teal soles that look incredibly badass but alas, it didn't come in a wide. Though I was very excited to have new shoes as would any runner feel, I still felt a bit skeptic. Would they actually work? What the hell am I doing without Saucony shoes? I don't know how I feel about this. What if they don't work? Literally, I don't think I've ever been so unsure of something I'm so sure about. But the only way to find out is to test them.




After talking with my coach because at this point I'm friggin' lost as to how and where to begin aside from just going, she gave me advice, I programmed a workout and went.

Aside from my heart rate going into shock because I haven't done any type of cardiac activity in almost two months, it felt good. It felt good to press start, it felt good to breathe the air, it felt good to see all of the people I would always see at the park walking. I went with comfort and enjoyment. For a split second, I thought my knee was going to act up but I also believe it was my mind expecting it to. It felt fine! But the shoes, how did they feel? I didn't feel them at all and I mean that in a good way. They are so light, it's almost mindblowing. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say they will carry me across the finish of my next race because I still have time to adjust but, for now, they'll most certainly work.




Back to recipe sharing, yay! Fall is slowly coming here to Arizona. When I say slowly, I mean it's still in the mid-80s to low 90s, but it's not 100+! This time of year, I certainly get a big craving for comfort food. I mean, I do all the time but like especially right now. My favorite chili recipe was simmering on the stovetop yesterday. Fartlek chili isn't just for runners! It's so hearty and delicious. I used Beyond Meat's ground "beef" myself, which worked great, but regular or turkey works too if you're a meat-eater! I also used one green pepper and one red instead of 2 green. I simmered mine for an hour and paired it with some Bob's Red Mill gluten-free cornbread! It also makes enough leftovers for a few nights. You can find the recipe here!

I swear, one day, I'll be better at this whole food picture stuff. We'll continue the week of slowly base building, progressing, more therapy, and everything in-between. See you next time and thanks for coming!