Try it out Tuesday – DHF Lakeview

I love trying out new gyms/fitness trends as much as the next person, but as I mentioned last week it is really important for me to be consistent in my fitness routine in order to see results.  Since signing up for the Spartan Race, which is on November 1st, I’ve been looking to find a gym that would really help me develop skills I’ll need for the race.  For a long time I considered joining a local CrossFit box, but wasn’t sure which box to choose and I couldn’t get into the beginners course.

Last week, I attended a new-to-me gym called DHF Lakeview through my ClassPass subscription.  The owner, Dan Hicks, believes in a training philosophy that incorporates 5 building blocks of success in each workout:

1. Functional Movement
2. Strength
3. High Intensity
4. Total Body
5. Always Changing

All of those sounded good to me, so I decided to check it out.

DHF Lakeview is in East Lakeview which is super convenient for me to get to and from (a must for me to continuously go to any gym).  It’s a small studio, I’m talking 900 square feet, but Dan really incorporates every area of the gym into each circuit he creates.

I signed up for a ‘Group Session’ which usually contains about 6 people, but that day we only had 3 – which was awesome – more individual attention.  Dan quickly introduced himself and so did the other two men in my group before we got started.  Our workout started with warming up on the TRX bands – fitness tools I rarely use but truly love.  Most of his warm-up just involved body weight, but when we got into the high intensity circuit, he started to incorporate a lot more weights, kettlebells and a weird looking machine in the corner.

So what was is this machine I’m talking about?

from Ironcompany.com

It’s called Surge Performance Training.  There are so many different exercises you can do with this thing, that I really can’t even explain it in words.  Visit their website to see what I’m talking about – the machine is intense and you literally use your entire body in the different movements.  Loved it.

The circuit moved quickly and we performed all different kinds of movements from rowing, box jumps, squats, lunges, push-ups, the ab workout where your feet are on those moving discs… lots of fun stuff.

Overall, I loved it.  I left a complete sweaty mess, but felt great.  I plan on going to DHF at least 2-3x per week alternating between my running workouts and a yoga class here and there.  Hopefully all of these movements help increase my mobility (my squats suck) and prepare me for the big Spartan Race in November!

What studios or gyms do you incorporate into your fitness routine?

Oh, and p.s. – GO BEARS!

ClassPass – Fitness at your fingertips

Last week, when I returned from my wild and wonderful vacation, I was offered the opportunity to attend the ClassPass launch party at Flywheel spin studio in the Gold Coast.  ClassPass is a fitness start up that helps people find fitness classes that they love. For $99 a month, you get 10 classes you can use to visit any studio that you want. Some of these studios include:

• Pure Barre
• 105F Bikram
• Atlas Performance
• Bar Method
• Chicago Kettlebell Club
• DHF Lakeview
• Exhale Chicago
• Go Cycle Studio
• South Loop Crossfit
• Core Chicago Pilates
• … and so much more!

Most studios have two or three locations around Chicago, so you can find a class that is close to where you live or where you work.  Currently, ClassPass is available in Chicago, Boston, New York, L.A. and San Francisco.

When I arrived at the launch party, I was informed that the spin class I was supposed to attend was already full!  I’m not going to lie, I was really bummed and a little annoyed until they handed me a sweet swag bag and offered me a free ClassPass monthly trial.

Ummm, okay!  (p.s. not the biggest fan of the hashtag, but the tank top and water bottle are super cute)

Last night, I attended my first class of the month – Pure Barre in Lakeview.

I’ve heard a lot about barre classes and have actually attended one a while back, but knew there was a lot of hype surrounding this specific studio.  I was excited to try something new and nervous at the same time because I knew a lot of the moves require flexibility, and that is just an area I do not excel in 🙂

When I got to the studio, I was immediately greeted by one of the instructors.  The first thing she asked me was, “Is this your first time at Pure Barre?”  A little embarrassed to admit it I replied “yes” and was immediately glad to hear I was not the only one.  The instructor took me around the studio and introduced me to the instructor who would be leading the class.  They showed me what types of equipment I would need and a little bit of what to expect throughout the class.  I was very impressed with how nice and helpful everyone was.

Since the instructors did a good job of engaging me, I decided to go ahead and buy a pair of their signature socks (yes, I’m a sucker for new fitness stuff).

I loved all the fun colors I got to choose from and have to admit that they class would have been a lot harder without them.  The grips on the bottom help you grip to the carpet so you aren’t sliding around during the workout.

Once the class started, I noticed that I guessed the correct attire to wear to class.  Lies – I Google imaged ‘Pure Barre” and saw that everyone in class was wearing some sort of tights and a tank.  I’m a nerd.

Now to the fun part – the class itself.  It was definitely challenging in a way that will probably have an awesome effect on my abs and thighs, but it’s not one of those classes that you leave completely drenched in sweat… unless I was doing everything wrong.

Everything is done in little movements and high repetitions.  After 2 minutes of making the same small, controlled motion you definitely start to feel it… and may even start to shake!  “Shaking is changing”, or so they say!

The class moved at a very fast pace so that I never really got bored or lost focus.

Overall, I had a lot of fun and will definitely go again.  I may, however, pair the class with a run outside or some other type of cardio because I felt like I needed something else to round out the workout.

I’ve already mapped out the other classes I want to try through ClassPass at other studios that are close to me.  I’m really excited to try new things and find out if there is something else out there I could add to my regular routine.

I’ll be sure to let you all know how the rest of my ClassPass experience goes… stay tuned!

 

Workplace Wellness

Good morning, good morning!

I am feeling extra peppy today… want to know why?  Perhaps it’s all these awesome endorphins I have running through my body! Remember the wellness committee I’m a part of at my work, kFit?  Well, we rolled out an awesome new program called the kFit 60 Day Challenge.  This challenge/event, was a year in the making and my coworkers and I are so happy/proud that it has rolled out successfully.

We partnered with a personal trainer to bring our employees a comprehensive wellness challenge that would help exercise both their bodies and their minds.

Each week, we are given a set of workouts to complete either at home, or together after work.  Some people might be a little timid to workout in front of their coworkers, but I think it’s awesome.  As our trainer would say, those who sweat together, stay together!  The trainer also includes weekly blasts with nutritional tips and how to manage stress.

Yesterday after work, I attended one of the fitness classes and we completed this High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT):

The numbers at the top are the sequence of reps we had to do, and the names of the interval workouts are below.  For example, we would complete move #1 (downdogs) 15x, move #2 (Geckos) 15x, move #3 (UPA/Bridget) 15x, etc.  Then we would do it all again but with 20 reps, then 25 reps, then 20 again and finish of with 15 reps – NON STOP.  The goal was to finish the entire workout in 30 minutes.

This workout kicked my booty, literally.

After the class, I rushed home because i was STARVING.

On the menu: Turkey Tacos

Feed me.

I know I may be a lush about corporate wellness stuff, but I cannot stress how important it is in the workplace.  Every company should advocate wellness whether it is physical or mental.  Changing your lifestyle is your own decision and ultimately no one can change your behavior but yourself.  Employers, however, have a tremendous opportunity to see the value in adopting this change and help to reinforce the healthy behavior.

When I started at kCura over 3 years ago, I was significantly over weight and unhappy.

(Hilton Head Island, 2010)

Since adopting a healthier lifestyle I find myself more energized to go to work and more productive while I am there.

(Hilton Head Island, 2014 – 45 lbs. healthier and happier)

Workplace wellness also helps set the tone of a companies culture.  When a workplace create a supportive environment that keeps employees engaged, that in turn helps to motivate employees.

I think a lot of employers are slow to adopt this view because they don’t think it is worth the investment.

What I can tell from the past two weeks is that our employees are excited… and engaged… and motivated.  And our employees are the ultimate investment.

Vega Bar Review & My 9 Mile Run

Annnnnndddd just like that it’s Monday again.  This weekend was a perfect mix of some much needed ‘me time’, fun with friends and relaxation with Brian and Bailey.

Friday after work, I went on a little shopping excursion by myself 🙂  I went to Nordstroms and Banana Republic to find my little sister a college graduation present (ahhhh!) and some clothes/shoes for me.  It was a very successful outing, however, I cannot go into detail of what I got due to the fact that my sister is probably reading this blog as we speak!  Later that evening, I met Brian and his family out to dinner to celebrate his cousin’s birthday.  She chose a quaint little Italian place in the heart of Old Town which was perfect because I needed some good carbs before my run on Saturday.

Ms. Lindsay met me at my apartment at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday to start our 9 mile training run.  It was a sunny, blue bird day in the mid-forties, but my oh my was it windy.  We did a simple down and back along the Lakeshore path: 4.5 miles south and 4.5 miles back north.

The run south was amazing.

So many people were out running, walking and biking and the sun felt great on my face.  At one point I turned to Lindsay and thought that I might have to stop quickly to take off my long sleeve because I was getting too hot.  That decision quickly changed once we made our turning point.  We were so busy talking/gossiping on the way down that we didn’t really notice that we had the wind to our backs the entire time.  When we turned to back north, the run turned into a whole different ball game.  We fought a really strong headwind the whole way up which made for some really great training, but my feeling of overheating turned quickly into being too cold.

Despite the way back being super tough, we did manage to stay on pace the whole run which we were very happy with.

After our run, we grabbed Bailey from my place and made our way over to Starbucks for some iced coffee.  Instead of ordering my usual whole grain bagel as my post-run fuel, I brought a long some new Vega Protein Bars for us to try.

Late last week, I received a box of Vega bars to try out from the company that included all of their popular bars and flavors.  What I loved right off the bat was that the bars are all plant-based, Non-GMO, gluten-free and made without artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners.  The protein bars we ate contain 15 grams of protein which is a plant-based protein from whole grain brown rice.

I choose the Chocolate Mint and Chocolate Coconut flavors to bring with me on our coffee run, both of which were delicious.  The chocolate Mint has hands down been my favorite of the bunch because it legitimately tastes like a thin mint.

In terms of taste: These bars rock.  They are not chalky like a lot of plant-based protein bars are and all of the flavors I have tried are delicious.  I’m usually not one to crave chocolate after a workout, but the chocolate in the protein bars are not too overwhelming.  I find that there is a perfect balance with the sweetness of the mint flavor and the natural richness of the cacao.

In terms of nutrition: The protein bar has 15g of complete, multisource, plant-based protein, 2.5g BCAAs, 2 g glutamine and 1 g Omega – 3.

Where can I buy these?  Most GNC, Whole Foods and Vitamin Shoppe’s carry Vega Bars.  Otherwise, you can also order them via Amazon.

Besides the Vega Protein Bars, I have also really enjoyed the Vega Snack Bars.  These babies are awesome to have around while you are at work.  Instead of grabbing something unhealthy around 3:00 p.m. when my stomach is rumbling, I have been grabbing this healthy alternative.

My favorite flavors have been Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup (ummm yah, delicious) and Cranberry Almond.

Coworker approved as well!

Disclosure: I was provided a free box of Vega Bars to sample and review, but all opinions expressed on my blog are my own.

What’s your favorite protein bar?

Girls on the Run

Happy Friday!!!

I don’t know if it was just me, but this week went by reallllyyy slloowwwwwww.  I’m glad the weekend is here and I can spend some quality time with Bailey and galavant outdoors.

Yesterday was a good routine – type day.  Work went by slow, for no particular reason, but I did get to attend our kWOW (kCura Women in the Workplace) lunch event which was really nice.  It was potluck style so everyone brought a little dish or snack to share and then we came up with a bunch of ideas on what we wanted to accomplish as a group collectively.  The breakout group I was in talk a lot of volunteer opportunities in the area and I was introduced to the organization Girls on the Run.

Have you heard of them before?  It’s a youth development program that helps girls of different ages prepare and complete a 5k in their area.  Through this goal, the coaches, running buddies and volutneers of the organization teach these girls how to live a healthy lifestyle, have self confidence and what it feels like to accomplish something you put a lot of hard work into.

Once I heard about this organization, I immediately knew it was something I wanted to help out with.  I did a lot of research last night and am going to fill out their online volunteer application so I can help with their 5k event that is coming up this May.  So excited!

After work, I headed straight to the gym to complete an awesome 40 minute treadmill workout (I saw awesome lightly because I was on a treadmill and not outside so it was only half awesome).

 

This baby really got my heart rate pumping and was perfect because the brown line was running super slow and I almost convinced myself to just head home.  I can’t stress enough that I have those days a lot, but when I remember how I feel after my workout it almost always convinces me to get back in it.  The mind likes to play tricks, you see.  Sneaky! Sneaky!

I followed my workout with a lot of foam rolling and stretching. obv.

There is a Whole Foods across the street from my gym, so I made a quick pit stop there to grab a small load of groceries and then went home and whipped up this:

Just shrimp and salad.  Easy, simple and delicious.  My salad had AMAZING fresh organic leaf lettuce, yellow bell pepper, avocado, goat cheese and little pepperoncini peppers.  LOVED IT.  I’m making an extra one for lunch as we speak.

This weekend will be half busy and half low key.  Tomorrow I have to get my 9 mile training run in and then head up to Wrigleyville for a BvB sponsored event.  Sunday I have no plans thus far and I really really hope it stays that way!

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone.

It’s That Time of Year Again…!

First, let’s just talk about how beautiful my tulips are…

Haven’t they opened up nicely?  Whole foods had a great deal on the bunch this weekend, only $6! Win!

This week has been jam packed thus far.  There has been lots and lots of leftovers eaten.

Workouts have been pushed back indoors – boo.

 

Best friends have come to visit from New York

#selfie

And my BvB practice has commenced!  For those of you who are relatively new to this blog, BVB (Blondes vs. Brunettes) is a charity powderpuff football league I participate in each year.  The charity that we raise money for is The Alzheimer’s Association to help fight for a world without Alzheimer’s.

I was first introduced to this league by a former colleague of mine who was part of the planning committee.  I remember thinking to myself, how tough could it be?  I thought I would show up to practice and it would be more of a social hour of women having fun on the field.  I wasn’t wrong about the social aspect, but I did underestimate how much effort goes into our seasons.  We start practicing two days a week for only ONE game that is played in mid June!  Talk about dedication.

Until that June game, we also throw various fundraising events to try and help us reach our yearly goal of about $35,000.  Each player is set to reach a minimum of $350 in their fundraising goal and this year, my friends and family thus far have been rockstars.  I always love exceeding the goal and having those funds go towards such an awesome cause and this year is no exception.

Although I love getting in a good workout two days a week, and I’m serious practices are awesome and intense, the real reason I keep coming back to play (3rd year in a row!) is because of the awesome women I have met through this organization.  All of the women are smart, driven and hilarious – practices may be tough but I usually cannot go a full night without dying of laughter.

If you feel like donating to this awesome cause, feel free to check out my personal page here!  Or come cheers us on at our big GAME DAY June 14th, 2014 at Hawthorne School Turf Field in Lakeview, Chicago.

Ta Ta for now, friends!

Xmas Came Late & Running Mile 8

Good morning, friends!  I hope you all enjoyed the weekend!

I was very much looking forward to my Saturday all of last week as I finally got to use one of Brian’s Christmas gifts that he gave me – A wine tasting tour in Michigan!

He got a deal on the tour through Living Social, so I was not really sure what to expect going into the day.  I was pleasantly surprised, however, when we got downtown Saturday morning and saw a giant coach bus waiting for our arrival.  I will just say off the bat that everything about the tour, hosted by Cannonball Productions, was so well organized.  I was glad to see that having a bathroom on a bus full of winos was a top priority!

It took us two hours to get to our first winery – Lemon Creek.  We were immediately ushered into their tasting room where we got to sample five of their wines including their signature ‘ice wine’ for $3 extra.  Have you ever heard of ice wine?  I hadn’t either, but apparently it is a very popular staple in Michigan.  The grapes are picked during a chilly night – harvested at less that 17 degrees Fahrenheit.  Each of the grapes that are picked only create ONE drop of ice wine.  Since it is so concentrated, the wine is super sweet and is termed ‘The Nectar of the Gods’.  I’m not a huge fan of sweet wine, so this wasn’t really my thing, but Brian had no problem finishing off my pour 🙂

We were able to spend 45 – 50 minutes at each winery and although that sounded like a long time initially, the day seemed to go by very fast!  Lemon Creek was good, we enjoyed their Chardonnay and Dry Rose, but their pours were the smallest of the bunch…

Next on the tour was Baroda Founders Winery.  We were able to get a tour of the production room before our tasting and lunch began.  The owner himself gave us a tour and showed us how they make their most popular wine – Luce Del Sole ( which means sunshine).  I very much enjoyed the tour and that specific wine that he poured for us himself, but unfortunately I did really care for anything else that I tried there.

The final two wineries on the tour were my absolute favorite: St. Julian and Round Barn.  The woman who was assisting Brian and I with our tasting at St. Julian was phenomenal.  My favorite of our six tastings was their Syrah and I may or may not have taken home three bottles! Did I mention that their pours were over double the size of Lemon Creek?  Win!

My favorite part of Round Barn, however, was not their wine.  It was their signature bourbon and beer.  We also got six tastings there, as well as a souvenir tasting glass and the woman who took care of me could just tell that I was in need of a grand finale tasting.  She had a bourbon cocktail that literally knocked my socks off – psych! I wasn’t wearing any socks 😉  She had mixed their bourbon with one of their apple wines that had been mulled for hours and OMG it was like heaven in a glass – the perfect drink for a fall day.

While I got my bourbon on in the main tasting room, Brian ended his tour at the brewery.  Their beers were equally as delicious and Brian got a growler for us to enjoy on the bus ride back to Chicago.

 

Our Loot!

I would highly recommend this tour to everyone!  For $75 you get round trip transportation, copious amounts of wine, free lunch and a bunch of new friends.  I was also grateful that the tour got us back into the city by 6:00 p.m. as I had plenty of time to recover before my eight mile training run the next day!

I was surprisingly not too dehydrated when I woke up on Saturday, but I made sure to drink plenty of water and eat tons of protein to get my body up to par.

Lindsay and I both knew that there was a possibility we would be running during a Thunderstorm, but Mother Nature was pretty good to us!  Since we knew it was windy along the lakeshore path, we routed ourselves through the Lakeview, Roscoe Village and Lincoln Park neighborhoods.  With Lindsay’s wedding coming up in the fall, we always have so much to talk about that the run goes by quickly.  I swear she is the best running buddy, I don’t even bother bringing headphones anymore.

I felt pretty good after the run, my hamstrings and butt were super tight so I made sure to spend extra time stretching those out.

The rest of the night was spent on the couch eating DELICIOUS Thai food and watching Game of Thrones – EEEKKKKK!

How To Make My Favorite Baked Salmon

Since Brian and I went to the Cubs game after work on Tuesday, I didn’t have time to fit in my 4 mile run that was scheduled on my Half Marathon Training Plan.  It ended up being for the best because yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day to run outside.  It was the first time I have run outside in only a T-shirt and shorts since October!  I completed a really simple down and back along the lakeshore path… 2 miles south and 2 miles back north and it went by super quick because there were SO many people out on the path – Brian thinks it’s annoying, but I think it’s awesome.

When I got home I stretched for a little while then got right to dinner.

Enter my favorite easy Salmon recipe:

Lemon Garlic Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 lb salmon filet
• 1 tsp. garlic lemon pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 lemon – half sliced
• Tbs. butter – sliced
• Tbs. minced garlic
• Olive Oil Spray

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
2. Lightly spray a baking dish with olive oil and place filet skin side down in dish
3. Sprinkle garlic lemon pepper, salt and minced garlic on top of filet
4. Top with butter slices, juice from half the lemon and the lemon slices
5. Once your oven is preheated, bake the salmon for 12 minutes until flaky with a fork
6. Enjoy!

We served this salmon with some asparagus and a side of tri-colored quinoa.

YUMM!

After all the clean up was done I had to go get ready for my soccer game that was at 9:30 p.m.  Sigh.  Maybe I’m just turning into an old geezer but there 9:30 p.m. games are really killing my sleep schedule.

What’s your favorite way to cook salmon?

Meal Planning vs. Whole Foods

Yesterday was a great Monday (which doesn’t happy a lot, right?)!  It was announced at work that I would be receiving a promotion, my coworkers brought in Glazed and Infused donuts and I scored free Cubs tickets from my super generous co workers for tonight’s game vs. the Pirates.  I wish every week could start out as well as yesterday did!

Since work started off so well, the day flew by.  On my lunch break, I had the chance to spend some time outside and stop by a local Starbucks for a mid-day treat.  Instead of bringing it right back to the office, I took some time to plan out my meals for the week.

Meal Plan:

Monday: Chicken, sweet potato fries and salad

Tuesday: Balsamic salmon, quinoa and asparagus

Wednesday: Turkey tacos

Thursday: Out to dinner – fundraising event

Friday: Shrimp fra diavolo

Saturday: Chopped salads

Sunday: Take out/wing it

Lately I have been super disappointed in the produce that has been at my local Trader Joe’s.  I have been reading lots of bloggers posts on meal planning and was surprised to see that some of them were able to score just as much produce/goods for the week at Whole Foods as they were if they would have shopped at Trader Joe’s.  Could this be?  I had to try it myself.  With the plan above, here was my list for the week:

Produce:

• Lettuce (Organic)
• Tomatoes (Organic)
• Cucumber (Organic)
• Bell Peppers (Organic)
• Asparagus
• Avocado (2)
• Sweet Potatoes (2) (Organic)
• Lemons (2)
• Limes (2)
• Jalapenos (4)
• Bananas

Meat:

• Eggs (Organic)
• Chicken (Organic)
• Ground Turkey (Organic)

Frozen

• Shrimp

Dairy

• Greek yogurt (Organic)
• Cheddar Cheese

Canned

• Tomato Paste (Organic)
• Crushed Tomatoes (Organic)
• Diced Tomatoes (Organic)

Bread

• Qunioa Pasta
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Grand Total: $81.44

Not too shabby!! I have easily spent that much if not more at Trader Joe’s.  I was really happy with my loot and glad I took the time to plan the week ahead so that I will have enough for dinners and leftovers for lunch.  So what was the secret?  Staying on the ‘parameter’ of the grocery store allowed me to steer clear of overpriced processed foods that I just did not need!

Last nights dinner – BIG WIN.

After I got home from the grocery store, I spent a lot of time on my yoga mat stretching.  Sunday after my run, I used my Zensah compression sleeves to help aid my recovery and I swear they work wonders.  According to their website, here are the benefits that come with compression:

 

(Yes, my left foot is bigger than my right foot)

Enhanced blood circulation as a result of improved venous return.
The deoxygenated blood goes back to the heart faster, which in turn helps to improve blood flow of oxygen rich blood back to the body.

Faster recovery following strenuous exercise and improved performance by aiding in the removal of blood lactate.
Reducing blood lactate concentration during maximal exercise bouts, allows for an increased lactic threshold. Studies have shown that athletes with a high lactate threshold perform better.

Enhanced warm-up via increases in skin temperature.

Reduced muscle oscillation/vibration upon ground contact, providing stability to the muscle help prevent microtrauma to the muscles, making for a faster and easier recovery.

Reduced effects of delayed onset muscle soreness in the days following strenuous exercise through alleviating swelling and inflammation.

Increased muscle support, which increases performance through improved muscle efficiency.

Improved leg power and vertical jump through enhanced proprioception.

Although I do not use my compression sleeves after every workout, I do try and make a point to use them after or during my long runs – ESPECIALLY when I am increasing mileage gradually.  It may be a mental thing as well, but I just FEEL better when I slip them on after my shower – the same kind of comfort you get after taking an ice bath.  PLUS, they come in a variety of fun colors which I am a huge fan of.

Do you use compression garments? 

Of possible interest:

Lunch al Desko: Upgrade Your Midday Meal

Fun, Relaxing and Adventurous

One of my best friends posted this picture last week and man do I wish it would come true.

This weekend was the perfect mix of fun, relaxing and adventurous.

Friday I met two of my best girlfriends out for happy hour at Howell’s and Hood.  Being there made me really excited for summer because they have such a great outdoor patio.  We had a couple rounds of wine and appetizers, including a DELICIOUS steak salad.

When our waiter asked how we wanted our steak cooked we all replied, “medium rare” at the same time.  I love having girlfriends who have the same taste in food as me 🙂  P.s.  Is there any other way to eat steak?

After round one, we decided to head over to The Berkshire Room for a few cocktails.  The space there is absolutely gorgeous.

One of my favorite things about their cocktail menu was that they had an option to let the bartender build you one.  All you had to do was give them the type of liquor your wanted – ‘GIN’ – duh and then your flavor profile.  I chose ‘spicy’ because it sounded very intriguing.  The cocktail ended up being one of the best gin cocktails I have ever had.  The drink included some delicious Hendricks, Ginger Beer, Fresh Orange and some kind of bitters that I forgot.  All of us had a different variation of the ‘build your own’ and we were all very pleased.

In the beginning of the night I told myself I would take it easy, but one thing lead to another (like many girls nights do) and I ended up having a wickedly awesome hangover Saturday morning.  I know it was an absolutely gorgeous day out, but all I wanted to do was curl up in a dark room and watch a movie in my sweat pants.  As motivation to get out of the house, my same two girlfriends suggested that we go see ‘Divergent’ at the theatre, so I was in.

I read the first two books while I was in Hilton Head and was very happy with the movie.  I know there were a lot of things missing that I wish they would have included, but overall I think that they did a really good job of sticking to the book and WOW is Tobias hot.

Like for realz.

Saturday night Brian and I had dinner plans with his family.  Brian’s cousin, Diane, is an excellent cook and invited us over for a full feast.

Homemade canape’s.

Beef tenderloin, brussel sprout salad and these awesome duchess potatoes.

Everything was so fresh and delicious.  Brian and I went home full and happy – it was the perfect fuel meal for my 8:00 a.m. running date with Ms. Lindsay.

We had 7 miles listed on our training plans and had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day to complete them.

Lindsay and I ran a simple down and back along the lake and had a blast catching up/gossiping while running with everyone else that was out.  I never need to bring headphones when I run with her because she keeps me so entertained.

The 7 miles went by quickly and I was really pleased with our pace time.  Technically I jumped from 5 miles (last week’s Shamrock Shuffle) to 7 miles so I was a little apprehensive going into our run about how I would perform.  The good weather and great company made it easy to stay fresh on my feet and I felt really good as we stopped at the 7 mile marker.  Bailey was so proud of us.

The rest of the day was spent outside keeping my legs fresh and taking much needed stretching breaks.  Bailey accompanied Brian and I outside and demanded that we make a pit stop to enjoy a couple of delicious brews on a dog-friendly patio.  We were happy to oblige.

We ended Sunday evening on the couch per usual watching our favorite season premiere – GAME OF THRONES.  By the end of the episode, I was calling Bailey ‘my dragon’ – she cannot be tamed.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!  Cheers to a productive Monday.