Komen Race For A Cure And Gratitude

 Hey everyone! How is your Sunday going?

Workout –

5 miles + 2 miles (7 mile total)

 

 

So today was a very special day.

The Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure New York City 5k for breast cancer awareness. Like millions of others, I have people in my life who have been touched by breast cancer. Every year, my mom and I head into the city with my mom’s friend (a 6 year breast cancer survivor!), and her family. We go in early, start the morning off in Survivor’s Village (an area of the race expo for the survivors and their friends and family). 

I can’t really put words together to describe the experience that is the Komen Race For A Cure (this could also be in part to the fact that I am sick and have a fever so I am struggling to put words together in general). The women, their families, their stories. It is just an amazing atmosphere to be around.

I think the most beautiful thing about this particular breast cancer awareness walk/run is the fact that although what we are walking/running for is so terrible and unfair… It is such a positive atmosphere.

Obviously, all of the participants in the race are there for different reasons. Some have fought breast cancer and won, some have watched their loved ones fight and win… And then others have not. 

As someone who lost a parent to cancer, it especially hits home with me when I see people with tags on their shirts saying, “In Loving Memory Of…” I saw too many young children who were walking for a lost mother. And too many mothers walking for a lost daughter.

But even still, they were smiling and laughing and cheering.

I mean, what is more beautiful than that?

Also, one of my favorites things about this day is the time that I get to spend in Survivor’s Village. I am surrounded by all of these strong, amazing, beautiful, and inspiring women. I hear them give speeches on their battles and how they have come out on top. These are the kinds of people that I look up to. These are the kinds of people that make me want to really live my life and to be thankful everyday for the fact that I am here. It could all end in an instant… And if it did, would I be able to say that I lived my life to the fullest each and every day? No, I wouldn’t. 

And I really want to.

Also, we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day.

Oh, and there was another thing that made today extra special.

I got to see my mom! (Pardon the fact that neither of us are exactly looking our best…)

I know that it’s really only been a week since I’ve seen her…. But that’s a long time! As I mentioned the other day, I have been really having a hard time lately and I have been extra homesick. Seeing her was just what I needed to help me push through this upcoming week.

It was so nice to see her and get to walk with her and talk. As much as being away from home kind of sucks, it’s an amazing way to raise the level of gratitude that you do have for your home and your family.

My mom is my best friend and my hero. I just can’t wait until next Friday when I get to go home for the weekend and see your again!

Some other things that I am grateful for today.

 

1. 

Living close to this amazing place and being able to run there.

The best coffee on the Upper East Side.

 

I hope you have an amazing rest of your Sunday and that you have a great week ahead!

Question(s):

What are you grateful for today?

 

Time To Live

Hey everyone!

I really need to start beginning my posts with something different than, “hey everyone” every. single. time.

Workout: 

Hit up the gym this morning some speed work!

Here’s how the workout goes:

3 minute warm up

6 minutes at tempo (7:30 min/mile)

3 minute recovery jog

5 minutes at tempo

2.5 minute recovery jog

4 minutes at tempo

2 minute recovery jog

3 minutes at tempo

1.5 minute recovery jog

2 minutes at tempo

1 minute recovery

1 minute at tempo

.5 minute recovery

3 minute cool down

This is one of my favorite workouts to do because it reminds me of tempo runs when I used to do cross country… Which just so happened to be, along with ladders, the workout that we all dreaded! When coach told us that the next day would be tempo day, we would spend the entire school day before practice freaking out! Obviously, we ran them much faster than I do now… Which kind of makes me feel crummy, but it also motivates me to really up my game with speed work and get back to where I once was!

Breakfast

You may need to sit down for this… I did something kind of crazy this morning.

I had something other than an acai bowl for breakfast!

And guess what? That’s not a bowl of oats that you’re looking at either!

Can you guess?

IT’S CAULIFLOWER!

I happened to be out of frozen acai packets, so I figured that it would be a good time to force myself to deviate from my usual breakfast routine (I am the very definition of a creature of habit) and try a recipe that I have been eyeing.

I first saw the idea for this grain free cauliflower-based “oatmeal” or, as they have been dubbed, cauli-oats, over on To Her Core  the other day and I have been thinking about it ever since.

It’s no secret that I love cauliflower… I mean, how can you not? It is probably one of the most versatile veggies out there. You can dip it, roast it, make it into pizza, make it into mashed potatoes, and now… You can even make it into a sweet breakfast!

If you think about it, we should all be inspired by cauliflower. It is the true physical embodiment of your ability to be anything that you want to be as long as you are willing to think out of the box and try.

Woah… Getting real deep over here on Snaps ‘n Flats…

Aside from the whole inspirational experience that is cauliflower… This breakfast was absolutely delicious! Mine didn’t come out quite as creamy and I had hoped, but it was still sweet and comforting and filling. You also definitely don’t taste it as cauliflower at all! I’ll definitely be making it again and am excited to try new flavor combinations. I kind of want to make chocolate cauli-oats… But the idea of chocolate and cauliflower together kind of turns my stomach.

Some other new things happening over here:

I attempted to cut and dye my hair and it kind of sort of came out as a disaster.

I think that since the color was a pale mint color, I was supposed to bleach my hair white… But I wasn’t willing to do that to my hair so I just kind of went for it and now it’s all patchy and weird.

Yay.

Last night I also forced myself to leave the house (I have been having a hard time doing that lately) to meet up with my family for dinner on the beach.

Going out to eat, especially when it is with a large group of people, is always difficult for me. I have never been one to really enjoy going out to dinner, and now it’s at a point where it just makes me anxious. Part of my anxiety and food issues is control or a lack-thereof, and not having control over exactly what is going into the food I am eating, the portion sizes, and how the food is prepared just really makes me uneasy.

That being said, I am always super proud of myself when I do go out and eat without any issues. It shows that I really have made some progress, even if I don’t feel like I have!

We started off our meal with steamed mussels as our appetizer. We got two orders, one with red sauce and one with white and they were so flipping good! The mussels also came with bread (my favorite thing ever) for dipping and I think I ate a whole loaf.

Whoops…

For my meal, I opted for the Manhattan clam chowder with a side of steamed veggies.

Any restaurant that gives you a plate of vegetables that is larger than your head is a winner in my book. The soup was also just as good as it looks.

 

I also had a taste of my mama’s food (she got sesame tuna tacos with sweet potato fries) and I don’t know if it’s just because I don’t know the last time I had a sweet potato fry or what… But those fries were probably the greatest ones I have ever tasted. They had absolutely zero grease (greasy things sit in my stomach and make me feel sick) and had some pepper on them which contrasted so nicely with the sweetness of the… well… the sweet potato.

Fresh ahi tuna is always a winner in my book, so that was great too.

Also, we ate outside, and I guess the view wasn’t too bad.

Something that I am really trying to work on is actually living my life.

I have always been an introverted person. I cherish my time alone and am ok with not always going out… But my already introverted personality has been amplified by my anxiety to a point where it is crippling.

I actually have a whole post about introverted personalities vs. social anxiety in my head that I need to post because I feel like all too often people think that they are one in the same… But that couldn’t be less true.

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I close myself off from the world and I am sick of it. I don’t spend enough time with the people that I love and cherish more than anything because I’m too afraid of putting myself into a situation where I may have anxiety.

I don’t know, I just feel like I need to really acknowledge and admit to these bad… habits(?) that I have fallen into and that I need to change. I’m sick of just existing instead of really living.

So I am happy that I went out with my family last night. It sounds small and menial, but it was a large step for me and I am so happy that I did. I got to see my cousins and my cousin’s fiancé and my aunt… Just some really important people in my life.

It was also one of the first days where it felt like summer, which is kind of sad given that I only have two weeks until Summer!

So, I’m going to make the most of these next two weeks =).

Now I have a concert to get ready for. So excited!

I hope you all have an amazing day!

 

 

Ten Things Tuesday

Hey everyone! Today has been a busy day of cleaning, filming, and editing. I thought maybe it would be fun to talk about my day and thoughts in ten bullet points.

Honestly, I just wanted to be able to utilize alliteration in my blog post title.

Ten Things Tuesday

1. I ran again today! No knee pain while running, but a small amount of discomfort after. Ugh. I just want to feel 100% again…

But I saw a bunny so I guess that makes everything better.

 

2. Going along with the previous bullet point, this whole low-mileage-due-to-coming-off-an-injury deal is absolutely killing me. I’m planning on making my “long run” for the week a 6 miler. Right before my knee started bothering me, I had worked up to a long run of 10 miles (I know to some of you that may not seem like a lot, but it is for me). I was so proud of myself and was so happy to be running long distances and was feeling so amazing during them. I hate that I can’t just throw myself back into what my weekly mileage was pre-injury…. But the smart and rational part of me keeps reminding the less rational part of me that going right back into my usual mileage for the week would just result in more injuries. Not smart.

3. It’s also killing me that I haven’t done speed work and that my speed, which was already slower than I would have liked it to be, is even worse that it was pre-injury. I don’t think speed work is a good idea with my knee yet though so I just need to suck it up and remind myself that I have plenty of time to work on my running and that in a couple of months none of this will even matter anymore.

4. After being away for the weekend,  I have welcomed back my smoothie bowls with the most open of arms.

Yes the obsession is still going strong. I did have a green bowl instead of a chocolate one today though. Changin’ things up over here. Livin’ life on the edge… You know…

5. I have gotten myself into the habit of grazing on a whole bunch of things in lieu of making actual full meals and it’s something that I really need to change because my diet is suffering because of it. I have been really into eating veggies and pretzels and rice crackers with hummus, salsa, mustards, and other dips and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that… Except that pretzels now seem to make up a majority of my lunches and dinners. I need to make some nice big salads and other healthy meals.

6. Because of the above issue, I have a meal plan all set up for myself for tomorrow and I am telling you this to keep myself accountable since I am such a grazer and really have issues sticking to a set meal plan. I’m thinking that my grazing is my mind telling me that I am not getting enough or the proper nutrition that I needed… So my brain sends me to the kitchen cabinets for a quick source of fuel.

7. My cousin is having her baby tomorrow (she has a scheduled C-Section) and I am so unbelievably excited! We don’t know whether the baby is a boy or a girl yet and the not knowing is killing me! They already have a 2 year old and he is the most adorable child in the world. I have no idea how I am going to love another baby as much as I love him, or how I am going to find another baby as cute as him. I’m sure that I will though!

8. I am a master on the grill.

 

That is homemade whole wheat grilled pizza right there! I brought it over to the cousins I mentioned above. Thought it would be nice for them to have in their fridge since they won’t have much time to cook post-baby.

9. I’m Italian and my first response to any situation, whether it be a family tragedy or a celebration, is to cook tons of food and give them to people… Hence the pizza, which is sure to be the first of many comfort food meals that will be brought to my cousins over the course of the next couple of weeks.

10. Ginger tea and editing for the rest of the night. The goal is to get to bed before midnight (one day it’s sure to happen!) and get up early to go swim at the gym (hehe that rhymes).

Talk to ya tomorrow!

Question(s):

Ever made pizza on the grill? What’s your favorite thing to grill?

What’s your favorite type of tea?

I’m thinking mine is vanilla chai tea with some soy milk and stevia… Yum! I’ve also been loving the chamomile citrus tea from The Mighty Leaf.

3 Words Per Photo

Hey everyone! It’s been a long day with very little time to sit down and blog so I thought I would share my day through photos! I’m stealing this idea from my favorite blogger ever Janae  to explain what each photo is in only 3 words!

Admittedly, today was supposed to be a (my first) What I Ate Wednesday… But I kinda-sorta failed at eating normal meals (I was on the go all day so my eats were kind of bizarre and were a little bit of everything)… So I guess I’ll have to wait until next week and try again!

Arms are screaming.

Morning with grandparents.

My happy place.

Date Nut Bread.

So flipping good.

A new video.

Goodnight!

Question(s):

Describe your day in three words. GO! (This isn’t really a question, now is it?)

Happy Easter!

I’m back in Florida again after a super nice day back at home! The amount that I have flown this year is crazy… I am NOT a fan of flying, nor am I a fan of school…

But on the upside, my family is down here for the week!

Bye bye my wonderful New York… See you in a month!

Happy Easter everybody!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day and are stuffing your faces with chocolate. Unless you don’t like chocolate, and if that is the case… What is wrong with you?

But I don’t like Peeps are jelly beans, so I guess I’m weird too.

(I just really wanted an excuse to put this picture in this post… I laughed way too hard at it.)

Anyways, I started my day off with an 8 mile run! I feel like I haven’t done a long run in FOREVER… really. It’s been 2 weeks!! Also, I feel kind of silly calling 8 miles a long run… it seems that every single blog I read runs like 20,000 miles a day. But I’m working my way up to it!

 

Definitely not my best run… I don’t know if it’s from being on a plane or from the fact that I have done hard workout the past two days, but my pace averaged a little bit over 9:30 minutes per mile. But hey, I did it!

I think I’ve sort of hit a sweet spot with 8 miles, I think I’m going to try to bump it up to 9 next week. But we shall see!

I also wound up accidentally running down a path that took me through a graveyard this morning.

 

Eerie… My dad actually used to take me to graveyards A LOT. He just liked them, I couldn’t really tell you why. He especially loved the really old ones. Personally, they half sleeve me out and half break my heart.

After my run, I cleaned my sweaty self up, had a bite to eat (some fruit and nuts) and got ready to head out to Mass.

Oh look, it’s the sunflower dress I talked about here.

I don’t really know what I did with my hair today, but I kind of dig it.

After Mass, it was time for the best part of every Easter (besides Jesus rising from the dead and stuff… that’s pretty rad too), BRUNCH (at 2:00…so not really brunch).

Second plate of food, loaded up with sweet potatoes, the best salmon ever (besides my mom’s) and salad with carrots, beets, and ginger dressing!

I ate my first plate too quickly to take a picture of it, but it had lox, 1/4 of a bagel, a half piece of that salmon, shrimp cocktail, and steamed zucchini and squash. YUM!

Then my family got a whole bunch of plates of cake to share.

Cake graveyard. That carrot cake > everything, the the dark chocolate mousse cake coming in at a close second.

At the end of our meal, my family shared a truly delightful pot of chamomile tea. I never actually drink chamomile tea, I just always forget about it. But I think I’m going to start because it was SO good and I know that it’s good for your stomach!

 

There were also some quality family selfies.

I just want to look like my mama. She’s so beautiful.

Erm…

 

oh the awkwardness.

And now I am just sitting on the floor at the country club trying to get some school work done, I am SWAMPED with assignments and tests this week.

So on that note, I am just going to leave you all with this.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed day with friends and family, whether you celebrate Easter or not!