Whew it has been a while hasn't it?? Sorry! Work has been crazy and I have been so drained that trying to write or even upload pictures has felt just about impossible. 

Sooo about these photos...the only ones I got today were my "breakfast" which was fudge and my snack which was the apple rolls (so spicy, so good). I totally ate A LOT more but I was eating with co-workers and somehow found myself too distracted to take a photo. It was food truck day at work and they had a hot dog truck so you know I was there. YUMMM. I could eat that weirdly processed meat all day. It's sad and gross I know. 

Here is what I will be eating tomorrow though: 

It's an old photo but I promise it is what I am eating for lunch tomorrow! I already packed it and everything :) Kale with a black bean veggie burger and garlic ranch dressing. Yum.....I am drooling. It might not make it to lunch tomorrow if I keep looking at this photo. 

Besides the fudge my diet has also consisted of a little too much of the delectable eggs pictured above. They are my absolute favorite and I may be stock piling them for after the season is over and they disappear ;)

I have been a horrible blogger lately. Work has been crazy and by the time I am home I am worn out and have no good thoughts (or pictures) that are worthy of anyone's time. I vow to change that though since work SHOULD be slowing down this week. Onto another Marvelous Monday! Thanks Katie for hosting!

Marvelous is the fact that I have  slowly started to do more strength work at the gym. I have been consistently doing wall sits, planks, squats, biceps and tri's. I know many people do this all the time and don't think twice but I have always only been a cardio girl. Running, walking, biking etc was all I ever did and all I wanted to do. I know that building muscle is good for me (and won't make me "bulk" up or anything) but I just haven't been able to get into a routine. I hope it pays off! 

Marvelous is my amazing tip I received today! I have a second job on the weekends that consists of serving birthday parties and today it definitely paid off. Now I just need to try not to blow it all on one trip to Target....

Something not so Marvelous is how my laptop has been misbehaving. Sometimes the bottom pane of applications will disappear and then nothing will work and I have to turn it off and turn it back on (and not the "proper" way). I am not sure if it is just getting old (it is 2 years) or if it has some sort of virus. I have had to turn it off twice so far while writing this post...Anyone with a Macbook that can lend their experience and expertise??

Okayyy well I guess I should sleep at some point. Have a marvelous Monday y'all!!

What did you do this weekend? 

Happy Monday! I am writing this on Sunday and am sure I will NOT be having a happy Monday after celebrating St. Patty's day tonight...Oh well. I did have a fairly marvelous weekend up to this point though! 

After work on Saturday I took my lovely grandma (who is in town visiting) out for lunch. I know she likes beer so I took her to a local restaurant that has a brewery. Sadly they were out of many of the beers we wanted to try but she ended up liking hers anyway and I still got to try their "Special Bitter" which was tasty. Yummy salads too. 

Not so marvelous is my realization that I need to rest my knee and should cut down on the running. My knee had felt really good throughout much of my training for the half but this last week it has been aching like crazy. Any tips to help a girl out? For now I guess I will stick with low impact and strength workouts...ugh

Morning add on! Last night was fun and I am going to go die at work now...Happy Monday

Hello lovelies! I hope everyone had a marvelous weekend and isn't having a too terrible Monday back in the real world (I would say I hope you are all having a great Monday but are Monday's ever that great??). I want to warn you ahead of time that this will be one looong post because I have both a Marvelous in my Monday post of all of the wonderful things that happened this weekend as well as recap of my first half marathon. 

Either skim the photos and move on or batten down the hatches cause it's gonna be a long ride.....

Marvelous was my Saturday night! Kings game with my sister and her bf and then a bar in Redondo Beach after.

Thought I would save y'all from a long drawn out description of the 13.1 miles and just give it to you straight.

Starting time: 6:30 a.m.

Time I realized my toes were frozen and in pain: 6:33 a.m.

Time I started to creepily pace myself based on a stranger in a neon pink shirt: 6:39 a.m.

Time my toes went numb: 6:40 a.m.

Time I realized there was a lot of homeless people in Venice: 6:45 a.m.

Time I realized Venice kind of looked like Ensenada, Mexico: 6:47 a.m.

Time #1 that I started to speed up for no reason and then regretted it: 7:00 a.m.

Time I reached aid station #1 (meaning 5 miles were done): 7:20 a.m.

Time I felted guilted into stopping at aid station #1: 7:20 a.m.

Times I thought I was getting close to aid station #2 (meaning 9 miles were done): 4

Time I saw a man coming out of a weird underground tunnel (subway?? bomb shelter??): 7:43 a.m.

Time I reached aid station #2 and was again guilted into stopping: 7:50 a.m.

Time I realized I could no longer focus on anything except putting one foot in front of the other: 8:10 a.m.

Times I thought I was close to the finish line: 3

Time #2 I started to speed up for no reason and then regretted it: 8:13 a.m.

Times I was actually close to the finish line: 1

I kinda can't wait to do it again. Does that make me crazy or did the list above already do that? 

I also must say that this race was AMAZING as far as the organizers and what they offered. I chose this race mainly because of the date and the low price and for what I paid (I think it was around $28) I feel like I got so much more from it. The aid stations were great with all of the gels, bars, liquids and bananas that one could want plus they took free pictures (not to mention a medal!!). I believe it was organized by a husband and wife (can't be too sure) and they were SO sweet and friendly. The race was informal, which was nice because I didn't feel pressured to really perform, but it had all the amenities of a larger scale race. A portion of the benefits also go to the Semper Fi Fund and who doesn't love a Marine ;)  I you are in Southern California I definitely recommend Rocket Racing! 

a.) Pier before the race (it was still dark out and all lit up once we arrived) b.) barren (beach) desert as I ran c.) Yayy for under 2 hours!! d.) Is it wrong that I want to take my medal with me everywhere and show it off? e.) Huckleberry for a food coma after the race f.) MB Post for a cocktail after the race. 

Anyone still there? 


How was your weekend?
Did you do anything new or exciting this weekend?

Woot woot new theme people! Anyone else suspect that Jenn gets kick backs from farmers or something? She does REALLY want us to eat our fruits and veggies after all ;)

Anyway this week has been crazy and it is not slowing down. Some weeks there are just not enough hours! My eats have been fairly consistent and boring as I adjust to the no dairy, sugar, grains or processed foods lifestyle. 
Breakfast is usually fruit:

I have been on a HUGE orange kick. So sugary and juicy yum. Snack is usually raw almonds or pumpkin seeds. Boring but they get the job done. 

Veggies and easy protein. Again I am the most boring eater ever but at least it isn't "cheating". I usually snack on some more nuts or whatever before the gym and then come home to a monster salad:

Sorry for the uber close-up but I had to show all the stuff that is in that thing! Lettuce, chicken, olives, pickled beets, cucumbers and pepperoncinis. YUM. I could eat pepperoncinis (banana peppers) for dayz. I may turn yellow soon. I also usually have my ACV with dinner which is not as good as pepperoncinis.

I usually (always) have a snack before bed and it is usually hummus or guacamole and baby carrots. I have been snacking on a LOT of baby carrots. They are just so easy! I may turn yellowish orange on second thought...

On another note my first half marathon is Saturday!!!! I can't wait. I read everyone gets a medal. I want a medal for finishing. I can't wait. My momma's bday is Sunday so I am saving my "cheat" for homemade fried macaroni and I could not be more okay with it. I will be turning down cake and ice cream after all...

Hello! I hope everyone had a marvelous weekend and isn't suffering from the Monday blues too badly. Let's talk about some marvelous (or not so marvelous...) things shall we? As usual thank to Katie for hosting the link-up!

I am a week into my 30 day Whole 30 hell! Technically at the time of writing this post I am not a week in yet since it is currently Sunday but by the time you read this I will be 7 days sober of sugar, grains, dairy and basically anything else that one might crave. Here is a peak at some meals/snacks....

Lots of veggies, chicken, tuna, hardboiled eggs, peanuts-only peanut butter (no yummy sugar or honey added) and fruit have been eaten over the past 7 days. I never realized how much I rely on easy/unhealthy snacks until I was no longer able to eat them! I REALLY miss hot sauce too. Damn added sugar... 

On the marvelous side though it has gotten easier and I have noticed that I just plain feel better. I feel more strong and less of the carb bloat. So far so good!

My run on Thursday was not marvelous at all but completing it was one of the best feelings ever (once I picked myself up off the floor). I knew I only had one long run left before my half (next Saturday btw!!) and wanted to get between 10 and 11 miles. The longest I ran before that was only 9. I hit about every mental wall I thought was possible and was super close to quitting at about 10 1/2 but I knew I could finish one half of a mile so I pushed through. The time doesn't seem to shabby either :)

Marvelous will be the margarita I will be enjoying this evening because my extra-marvelous grandma is in town!! I know what you are thinking "Wtf Caitlin didn't you JUST post about how you are giving up all that ish and blah blah blah?!" I know. I am a low down dirty cheater today but hear me out! Homegirl needs a cocktail. All week (before the good feelings of eating healthy came into play) I was feeling the cut backs BADLY. I will not looking forward to any meal and was basically pushing myself through every workout with what felt like no energy or drive. Thinking about one little cheat on Sunday is what made saying 'no' to breaking my challenge everyday a possibility. This margarita is for every cracker, hershey kiss, splenda, and Sriracha sampling that I said no to. I applaud those that can do this challenge and not cheat at all, you really are my hero, but if I am going to do it I know I need to have at least one tiny thing to look forward to at the end of the week. Okay, my spiel is done.

This is kinda marvelous but it is more so just random. Isn't this just Cinnamon Toast Crunch? Whatever I still want it. 

Okay I am off to go distract myself until dinner by enjoying my book that came in the mail. Happy Monday all!