My abs are sore. No, not from our Christmas Eve feast. Well, okay maybe.

Planks are mostly to blame for my pain. On Christmas Day, the gym was closed and it was my day off from running (I run about every other day). I decided to go for a nice walk outside and do some exercises in my basement. You know…lunges, jumping jacks, pushups, squats, and planks (for the first time in forever).

I hate planks (not dislike…hate!). I never do them and now I remember why. Yesterday, I could barely sit up in bed. Ouch! Ohh how I long for the ab strength I had in my days as a gymnast…and my ability to do real pull ups and tricep pushups.

Despite the pain, I managed to squeeze in a tough 6 miles on Monday. While the sun was shining, my legs were most definitely not.

I’m taking a few days off from running this week to rest and recharge.

I wore this pink Champion top that I got from Target a couple weeks ago, which I love. I waited SO long for it to go on clearance and as soon as it did, I snatched it up. Don’t you just love the Target clearance section? For some reason the top isn’t on clearance online though (boo!), so if you want it, go to the store!

You see, I’ve wanted a shirt with thumb holes ever since my high school gymnastics coach showed me the thumb holes in her sweatshirt. Like 80 years ago.

Finally!

All I care to shop for these days is running clothes. Though I think I’ve got enough now thanks to Santa.

He brought me this purple Nike top that I will probably be using for every run once the temperature dips into the 30s. It is so warm, it has a hood + zipper pocket, AND these sleeve cuffs.

Like little pockets for your fingers. How cool!

And for when it’s not quite cold enough for the burglar mask, I now have a fleece headband with a spot for my ponytail. How I went this long without a fleece headband is beyond me. Perhaps that’s why I’ve always ditched running outside in the winter.

For the record, I’m still obsessed with my Under Armour compression tights. Like, head over heels in love. My silly Forever 21 tights haven’t seen the light of day since I purchased them.

Speaking of tights, Mama D The kids got me a gift card to Athleta for Christmas. Any recommendations on what to get?

I have no excuse not to run outside this winter!

Hello! How was your weekend? I dropped off the face of the internet this weekend to spend some quality time with Kat Lobes and start my Christmas shopping. Yes, you read that right…start. Ack!

Usually I’m pretty good at Christmas shopping, if I do say so myself. I think of useful/thoughtful gifts, I find amazing deals online or in stores, and I purchase everything with plenty of time to spare.

This year? Uhh not so much.

Trying to think of gifts has been keeping me up at night! Fortunately, I was able to do some quality brainstorming during my 8 mile run on Saturday.

It was quite possibly the coldest run of my life. It actually snowed a few hours later (!!). Okay, flurried. Same thing.

See all them layers?

I rocked my burglar mask. It kept me warm and scared off predators.

The mask worked SO well. I really only needed it for the beginning of my run, but boy did I need it! Without it, my face surely would’ve split open. 25 min. into my run, my whole head/face/neck was sweating and I ripped the mask right off.

I felt like the guy on the last season of The Bachelorette (um, remember him?!).

***

Afterwards, KAT LOBES came over!!! She survived her 1st semester of law school. We went to the outlets to do some Christmas shopping…and I found zero presents. #fail

See the snow coming down? And my sparkly knees…?

Afterwards, we went out to dinner at Not Your Average Joe’s. I can’t even remember the last time we went out to eat together. Boo law school.

Bread + parmesan/olive oil dip to start.

I ordered the Ahi Tuna Salad and Katherine got the Cubano Sandwich.

Ahi tuna is my dish. I pretty much get it whenever I can. The soy honey mustard sauce served with the tuna was spectacular.

Sunday was filled with even more shopping. This time I was armed and ready with a list. I hit up Marshalls, Target and the outlets again…and then I dropped.

I was SO glad I went back to the outlets because LOOK WHAT I FOUND at the Nike Factory Store…

Nike Tempo shorts on clearance for $6!!! And a running skirt for $7. ARE YOU FUH-REAKING KIDDING ME!?

Nike Tempo shorts are the best. I got 4 pairs of tempo shorts a couple years ago on major clearance (which is why I never buy them at regular price. Never.) and I wear them for practically every single workout.

I’m not in love with the checkered pattern because I feel like a picnic blanket, but beggars clearance shoppers can’t be choosers!

I also got a few things on clearance from J. Crew (SO unbelievably cheap!) and Under Armour compression running tights at 25% off! Finally, I have something to wear on my runs.

The tights are SO tight. It felt like I got a butt lift when I put them on (I’ve got one of those Kardashian bubble butts!). They make my legs feel super light and bouncy, too. I love them.

I can’t wait to run in them with my Zensah Compression Sleeves.

I got presents for friends and family (finally!), but I gotta keep them under wraps because they’re probably all reading this post as we speak.

I’m so proud of myself for getting most of my Christmas shopping done. This week is going to be BUSY with the kids and Santa is coming to town soon! Eeps.

Alrighty, I gotta go! I’m running late because I gashed my hand on the lid of the pumpkin can (it won’t stop bleeding!!)…right after my oatmeal exploded in the microwave. Hello, Monday morning.

Tell me: Are you finished with your holiday shopping? Or better yet, have you started?!

***

The winner of the Chobani giveaway is…

Congrats! Shoot me an email with your address, please!

Do any of you read cookbooks at the gym?

*crickets*

No? Just me?

I ran out of magazines yesterday, so I brought this Mediteranean cookbook with me to the gym. I randomly stumbled upon this book the other day while digging through our library. I’m tellin’ ya, we have a library full of the most random books. Many of them originated from the Borders Books bargain section years and years ago.

Inside, I found the most beautiful photos of the dishes/foods I enjoyed in Turkey!

The amazing lamb that I’m still thinking about to this day!

Stuffed grape leaves

Baklava, which I need to make without pine nuts!

I had this delicious semolina cake for dessert at our farewell dinner. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was made out of. Now I know.

I came back from Turkey wanting to recreate many of the dishes I tried, but I didn’t know where to begin. Now I’ve got recipes at my disposal…

…with great step-by-step photos, Martha style!

Browsing through recipes on the elliptical was a nice change of pace. You know, from mindless celebrity gossip.

***

This morning, however, there were no recipes to be found. It was just me ‘n’ my thoughts for 7 miles. I ran by the gym for a quick round of leg weights. I was in and out in 10 minutes flat.

After a freezing cold ice bath and a hot steamy bowl of pumpkin oatmeal, we ventured out to get our Christmas tree!

We did all the research last year, so this year we knew to go right to Costco for the best deal.

Stick your nose in the computer screen/phone and take a whiff!! Mmmmmm.

After much deliberation, we finally found THE tree. Leave it to me and Peter to analyze every single tree’s individual characteristics before making a decision.

This one’s too uneven, this one’s too bushy, this one doesn’t have a nice tip, this one isn’t full enough at the bottom, this one isn’t full enough at the top…

We were planning on going out to dinner to celebrate my dad Peter’s birthday, but we snacked on too many Costco samples and ruined our appetites. Birthday dinner postponed.

I wasn’t too full to eat pickled herring though! Remember when I tried this on Thanksgiving for the first time ever and fell in love with it? This huge jar at Costco was only $4.89!

I love the wine marinade.

The rest of my dinner was delicious, but I didn’t have the patience to deal with the lighting. Looks like I need to break out my lightbox now that the sun sets so darn early.

Alrighty, it’s time to go decorate this tree!! Then eat cake!!

Oh I forgot to show you my birthday present to Peter. I bought him a case of Three Buck Chuck wine from TJ’s. His favorite.

There was definitely no you shouldn’t have this year . It didn’t take long for him to dig in…

Have a great night, y’all.

It’s too hot outside to listen to Christmas music. 65*F and sunny. I want to, I really do, but it feels awkward singing about mistletoes and Santa Claus coming to town when I’m dressed in shorts and a t-shirt!

We visited the outlet mall yesterday, mostly to take a walk outside and observe the crazy Black Friday shoppers. It was a zoo, of course.

We weren’t really in the mood to shop, so it was all window shopping for us. Though these holiday mugs and pecan pie in a jar were awfully tempting!

People parked in the drive thru lanes at the bank. For realz. Black Friday is no joke.

Is there anything better than Thanksgiving feast leftovers? Absolutely not. Well, maybe Thanksgiving feast leftovers shot in daylight . It may feel like spring outside, but the sun is still setting at 5 PM.

I’m pretty sure the temperature went up 30 degrees during my run this morning. I went from wearing a long sleeve shirt + gloves to a tank top. I surely would’ve ripped off my leggings if it was socially acceptable to run in undies.

Today’s 7 mile run was made possible by a handful of Turkish hazelnuts and Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass. I said excuse me you’re a hell of a guy. I mean my my my my you’re like pelican fly.

Yep, best running song ever.

I’m trying to eat these hazelnuts slowly since we have a finite amount, but it ain’t easy! I need to teleport back to The Spice Bazaar in Turkey and get some more.

We have a penguin waddling around the house…named Allie. Maybe I should say a horse or a whale…? I lost my voice and every time I try to sing, penguin noises come out of me.

I’ve realized this weekend just how much I sing…out loud…in public.

Why oh why do we only make cranberry sauce once a year? It should be once a month. I love pairing it with stuffing and turkey, but it also makes for a delicious oatmeal topping. Trust me on this one…

Pumpkin oatmeal with cranberry sauce, 2% Greek yogurt and more hazelnuts

Alrighty, it’s time for me to go out and enjoy this unseasonably warm weather! I hope you’re having a super fabulous weekend.

Tell me: Did you go Black Friday shopping? Score any good deals?

We stayed two nights in Kusadasi, the beautiful beach/resort town I told you about in my last post. This made me happy for 3 reasons:

1) It meant we got a break from riding the bus (we’re doing a lot of driving on this trip in order to see everything!)

2) I loved being by the ocean Aegean Sea. Even if it was too cold to swim, it was still so relaxing.

3) We got a day to explore the town on our own.

Are you getting sick of seeing this jacket yet? Well, I’m sick of wearing it! Though I packed a million sweaters, I brought just one jacket with me. Luckily it’s been warm enough during the day, so I’ve been able to take it off for some photos.

The majority of my record 600 photo binge took place at Ephesus (the ruins), The House of Virgin Mary and The Basilica of St. John. I’ll have to show you those later though. Today, I’m going to show you everything else we did in this beautiful town.

Before the day started, I squeezed in a workout at the gym—my first real workout of the trip. I desperately wanted to run outside (to town and back), but it was way too cold and windy.

The view from the treadmill was beautiful though. I ran a tough 3 miles and then did upper and lower body weights for 30 minutes. After several days off from working out and 2 full days of sitting on the bus, I had so much juice in my muscles!

The gym was nice! It felt so good to sweat. I was a completely different person afterwards.

In town, we stumbled across another Grand Bazaar, where we wandered for a couple hours. We didn’t buy much though since we still had a few cities to go.

At this point, we had a good feel for the average prices of souvenirs. Let me tell you, nobody can trick the two of us into buying anything. We are the savviest shoppers.

My mom is truly the queen of bargaining. She has mad skills.

We bought some pashmina scarves.

Olive oil soap

…and NUTS!! Hazelnuts and pistachios, to be exact.

This shop had freshly roasted nuts for us to try!

I love hazelnuts and they are everywhere here. We also got some red pistachios. Sadly, I am allergic to pistachios, but my mom said they’re delicious and melt in your mouth.

Oh and check out these [Costco-sized bags of] dried figs!

We’re still searching for the perfect bowl to get. We’re going to wait until the last day, so we don’t have to lug it around with us everywhere.

I loved this green one. I hope we find something similar later.

Genuine fake watches . Right. There are a ton of fake watches, clothes, purses, etc. sold in these bazaars.

Also, hand-woven rugs. This lady is weaving a rug. It’s going to take her an entire year (6 hours/day, 6 days/week) to weave a rug 3×5 feet (!!!!!). Needless to say we did not purchase any rug$.

For dinner, we went to Ali Baba. I swear the name had nothing to do with our decision to eat there .

We shared an Efes, a Turkish beer. It was surprisingly light.

To start, we shared a salad soaked in olive oil. Delicious olive oil.

I got the Grilled Calamari.

My mom ordered the Grilled Chicken, which I ended up eating a good chunk of as well.

Afterwards, we walked along the water back to our hotel.

We’ve got a long bus ride tomorrow, so I’ll have plenty of time to edit photos.

Until next time…

The sun worked its magic today and melted all the snow away!

Since I knew wouldn’t have time to run tomorrow, I figured I’d try to fit in a few easy miles today. Like 3…maybe 4.

Can you believe I ran in spandex shorts? It felt weird running in shorts with snow on the ground, but my tush wasn’t cold in the least bit.

I did, however, remember to wear gloves this time. Thank goodness!

Instead of my usual loop, I ran in circles around my neighborhood. I thought if I was bored, maybe I wouldn’t be as tempted to run longer. But after 3 miles, I felt like I had just started! My body was all warmed up and ready to go.

I decided to continue for just a little longer. What felt like 5 minutes later, I looked down at my Garmin and found that I was closing in on 5 miles. What?! I guess I zoned out big time.

I never thought I’d ever describe 5 miles as “easy.” I was the girl who had asthma so severe she couldn’t run up the stairs without getting wheezy (and having to use an inhaler)! Running didn’t come naturally for me and I definitely do not have a runner’s body.

I’ve put in the work though. While I’ve been running for years (on and off due to injuries), I started this past July running just 1-2 miles at a time. I remember those miles to be difficult and exhausting! It didn’t come easy, but I slooooowly increased my mileage week by week and I made sure to keep up with strength training and stretching along the way. If I can do it, so can you.

I just hope I can keep this up when the weather gets cold!

***

While running errands this afternoon, I stopped in Anthropologie just to browse. I sniffed candles and admired bowls and dish towels.

Then I spotted this dress, looked at the price tag and ran away. I did not walk, I RAN.

…far far away.

I’ve got laundry and some blog work to take care of tonight. See you later!

I ran 8 miles this morning!! The last time I ran 8 miles was almost exactly 1 year ago. This year, however, I ran it 8 minutes faster.

When reading about other people’s long runs, it’s easy to assume those miles happen effortlessly. Well, it might be like that for some people, but it’s definitely not like that for me.

Sure, some miles are easier and pass by faster than other miles, but every run is still a challenge. Sometimes it’s more challenging physically, and other times it’s more challenging mentally. Regardless, it’s never effortless!

The first half of this morning’s run was killer!

Miles 1-3: Okay, 7 miles is not going to happen. I’ll be lucky if I finish 4. My legs felt like led and they were a bit achy (like growing pains…weird). I was NOT feeling it.

Miles 4-5: My legs feel a lot better. Let’s keep going at least until 5.

I finished my normal 5.5 mile loop and then embarked on another 2 mile loop to run past a waterfall in my neighborhood that I stumbled across last week!

Yes, I’ve been living here for over a year and just discovered this oasis…

Mile 5: Well, that was anticlimactic. I got to see the waterfall for like 0.5 seconds. I would’ve stopped to admire it, but the Po Po was sitting right there and I always get super awkward/anxious around them.

Mile 6: I’m hitting a wall, but I want t keep going ’til 7.

Mile 7: Can I run 8? Why didn’t I bring gummy bears with me?!

Mile 8: I’m going to need to take a loooooong ice bath after this…

I attacked the gummy bears the moment I walked in the door. Next time, they’re coming WITH me!

My appetite was virtually non-existent after my run, but I managed to eat a bowl of oatmeal and a fried egg salad. Then I ate my weight in granola and almonds.

I can always count on granola and almonds to get enough calories in my body!

Before picking up Peter from the airport (he went back to Hong Kong for my grandmother’s funeral), my mom and I headed to Costco to pick up a 6 lbs of almonds!

My addiction lives on…

We also picked up a bag of seafood medley and organic, cage free eggs

I got this super hott fleece facemask for running in the winter!!

I’m going to look like a creepy burglar, but at least my face/head will be warm! I’ll take a photo for you the first day I have to wear it .

My mom got these gourmet peanuts. They’re from Williamsburg, VA and they’re famous! Boo for being allergic to peanuts.

We had some more time to kill before Peter’s flight landed, so we headed to World Market to browse around.

I was immediately reminded of why I love that place so much. I need a napkin bar in my house.

For dinner, I made an epic bowl of soup with the seafood medley we bought. Incredible!! It took me about 10 minutes to whip together too.

It deserves it’s own recipe post though…and photos taken in daylight.

Peter brought back presents from Hong Kong…mostly food, of course. He brought back a couple loaves of the bread I fell SO in love with in Hong Kong, which I ate with my favorite chocolate bar.

Life is good.

Alright, it’s time for me to get ready for the week ahead…and ice my legs. Have a great night!

(Remember that obnoxious Youtube video?)

You’d think the more you run, the easier it gets. Right? False. This morning’s 6 mile run kicked my butt! For some reason I’ve been having difficulty breathing this week on my runs. This morning, I was gasping for air the entire time. Perhaps it’s my increased pace? I don’t know, but I hope it goes away soon.

I stopped at 5 miles and then I realized I was totally LOST! It would’ve taken me all day to get home if I didn’t run. So I ended up going for 6 miles.

Unfortunately, the UPS truck came just a few hours too late! Otherwise, I could’ve run in my new shoes and compression sleeves.

I’ve had my current shoes since February and I’ve logged over 300 miles on them. It’s time to make the transition to a new pair. I got the Asics Gel-Kayano 17s. A couple years ago, I had the Gel-Kayano 14s and my legs liked them a lot. I found a good deal on them at finishline.com.

By the way, Finish Line has some of the lowest prices on Asics shoes. I got these for $40 cheaper than anywhere else.

I also got these compression sleeves for my shins. My shins have actually been pretty cooperative for the most part. My knees, however, have been a little achy.

I may or may not be sleeping in these tonight. The sleeves, not the shoes!

Well, you never know…

Since I’ve been spending more time on Pinterest than in the kitchen this week, I’ll leave you with these…

My heart melts every time…

Happy Friday!

I hereby declare today the most beautiful day of the year!

But boy was it WINDY out there.

For the entire first half of my run, I was pushing against the wind. Then when it was time for me to run WITH the wind, it died down.

Whatdya know.

Regardless, my legs were extra speedy today. I kept looking down at my Garmin to see my pace in the 8:40s. No idea why. My lungs were confused too…and struggling to keep up!

Can you believe I wore a tank top and spandex shorts?

Just two days ago I was worried about getting frostbite and today it was hot and sunny (I have the tan lines to prove it!).

My cheeks even got a little sunburned.

5 miles, run in record time. I was hoping to run 6-7 miles, but my lungs were completely dunzo by mile 5. And then I thought…a half marathon would be this and another 8.1 miles. Um, yeah. I have a loooong way to go.

***

I had the day off from work, so I spent the afternoon running errands and shopping. You know, to soak up the beautiful weather.

I know, who buys food from Marshalls?! This girl…

By the way, these almonds are laced with crack.

It doesn’t help that every chunk you eat is about ~10 almonds. A ton of chunks were devoured…

This looks like Halloween candy, but I assure you, it is not.

I got these for running, of course. I’ve reached the point where I need to start bringing fuel with me on my runs. These are my absolute favorite gummy bears. I actually don’t care for gummy bears, except for these.

I got a bowl on clearance for $2. It wasn’t until I photographed it for this post when I realized there was a chip on the lip of the bowl. Wah.

I still love it though.

I also got a shirt and a rhinestone headband from J. Crew, both on clearance. I tried to photograph the headband on my head, but I failed miserably.

It’s hard to tell from the lighting, but the headband is light pink and sparkly! Love.

Fried eggs for dinner.

It’s supposed to be absolutely gorgeous here for the rest of the week. Oh I’m a happy girl!

Also, Lo the Bro is coming over tonight (and sleeping over!). Can’t wait to see him. Have a wonderful night, y’all!

I was panting like a woman in labor while running this morning. I thought it was because it was scorching hot outside, but it was actually because my pace was a whole lot faster than normal! I ran 4 miles in 37:37, which was 2 whole minutes faster than last Monday. That’s a 9:28/mile pace.

That’s fast for me! (I think it was from all the carbo-loading via my swag bag last night ha!)

So I got a few questions about my purse…

It was the mystery Anthro purchase I made on Thursday while shopping in Philly. It was a total impulse buy. The queen of Anthropologie talked me into it!!! I never buy purses on a whim, but I desperately needed a bigger bag to tote around my creeper lens all weekend.

It’s big enough for my camera, an extra lens AND my future Macbook Air! Even though it was on clearance AND I got a 10% discount (there was a teeny tiny nick in the leather), it was still a bit expensive. I really love it though!

***

After work today, I stopped by Whole Foods for dinner. I’m moving back home on Thursday, so it’s going to be simple meals from here on out.

I got a tub of spring mix and some toppings from the salad bar.

This is the paneer I was talking about last week. I love it. I’m putting “learn how to make paneer” on my bucket list.

Beet salad

Seafood salad

Did you know kombucha is on sale this week at Whole Foods?

Forget daily oranges…it’s the daily pluots right now. I can’t get enough.

Okay, this is way overdue. The Take Back Your Health Giveaway winner is…

Time to tackle my inbox and bond with my roomies! G’nite.