What’s in your bag / summer edition:
I don’t cook all that much per se, but I do a ton of meal preparation - cutting up fresh fruits & veggies, washing an endless stream of plastic containers from our lunches, meticulously organizing and prioritizing the fridge.
To start the week off right tonight, I did cook this black bean, avocado, spinach and grapefruit quinoa with lime cumin dressing.
Please join me in welcoming the newest member of my myofascial release team:
The Rumble Roller
Kansas City Power & Light District for Whitney’s Bachelorette Party this weekend.
Obsession of the Week:
Going to Squeezer’s Palace for smoothies in Riverside.
It’s super dog-friendly, they always give Fritz treats, and I love going up to the window and ordering and then sitting outside on their patio - even more fun when we walk there.
It’s nice to have fun little community places like this.
Anonymous asked: Hi Jennifer. What brand of running shoes have you had the best luck with? I've gone with Nike for several years, but have wondered if there are better brands out there.
I’ve been a Nike Pegasus devotee since college.
Trying several brands and styles is good, but when you find something that works, stick with it.
Custom insoles have also gone a long way in helping me with bouts of shin splints and IT band issues.
I’m in to color therapy.
I notice when I’m having a purple phase (workout, work and lounge clothes all seem to be from this palette) or a green phase.
Going to the gym for a hour in the morning or evening, you can get away with wearing whatever is appropriate for your workout. This even works for short runs outside or on the treadmill. But when it comes to multi-hour runs, you better have some soothing, comfortable colors on. Hey - it can only help, right?
I was assessing my short colors, thinking, “I really only need some in yellow and I’ll have every color,” but when I went shopping, I couldn’t bring myself to buy anything in yellow. The thought made me hot and made me feel like yellow shorts on a run would make me have to go to the bathroom every mile.
The same thing happened when I was planning my 29-mile birthday run outfit. I wanted to wear my new bright pink Nike sports bra, but the thought of a warm color next to my skin on a hot day for 6+ hours made me feel overheated just thinking about it.
I like loose fitting, cool colors - blacks, blues, greens, purples, grays and whites - for long runs. They keep me mentally cool and fresh, and that’s got to come in to play physically as well.
Different people will have different colors that work for them. The important part is learning what those colors are and using them to your advantage.
Totally cool. Also, I’m having a narwhal moment.
I have no where in my house that this whale print would be appropriate, but I’m hoping you do because someone, somewhere needs to make this happen.
Cheney Lake has long been a destination. For lake things (swimming, camping, boating, jet skiing, windsurfing, waterskiing, tubing, etc.) lots of biking, and even a bike/run combination. Now that I have my mileage up for ultra training, I decided that this year was the year to run to Cheney.
So, Saturday morning my dad and I ran 29 miles from my house to Cheney Lake, as part of my upcoming 29th Birthday Celebration.
3 a.m. start time. Not a glamorous hour. We wanted to go early enough to beat as much heat as possible on the sunny, open, asphalt road to the lake.
Fritz, delivering us Gatorades in his new pack where Ian and my mom met us along the way for refueling.
Our reward at the end of 29 miles was a dip in the cold lake. There really is nothing more refreshing after a hot run.
And lots of swimming, leaping and paddling for Fritz.
Followed by a picnic, that due to wind and biting files, was eaten in the car and when we got home.
On the lakeside picnic menu:
Our adventures might not always be easy, or go exactly according to plan, but they are always fun.
Thanks family!
I’ve always thought being in a book club sounded fun, and now I am finally getting a chance to do it.
Last night we kicked off our new book/dinner club with Emily Giffin’s Heart of the Matter.
I sort of love to hate Emily Giffin because I think her writing is cliched. I ended up liking this book though, because underneath everything else, it was a book about women, their lives and the choices they make.