WIRED

Date: July 11, 2014

Author: astottler

I hope everyone is doing well! My Friday night plans fell through, so I’m hanging out here blogging, after a super long google+ chat with my family.

This morning, after being stupid and staying up way too late finishing my book, I was up bright and early for half marathon training. 4 miles today! Since I’ve done a variety of pace/speed based runs this week, today was just comfortable pace. It was actually pretty cool out at 6am!

Now I totally get why Anne runs with her camera-there’s just so much to capture here!

Post run, I had the best breakfast ever. It’s been a year since I’ve had a combo like this. I added blueberry lemon banana bread to vanilla yogurt, and topped that with blueberries and sunflower seed butter. Seriously, so good.

Stonyfield has some of my favorite vanilla Greek yogurt because the sugar content isn’t bad. Only 12g including lactose sugars! That’s way better than most!

At work, I got coffee.

Pleas note the size of that cup. It is not big. 12oz. It is not full. But it apparently was WAY too much caffeine for me. I’m pretty sensitive, and it was bad. I felt awful the whole day. And, I have a family history of heart problems with too much caffeine (granted it was from way more than this) so it freaks me out if I get at all over caffeinated. I’m not sure if the coffee here is just extra strong, but it’s gotten to me a lot more than usual. My cappuccinos at school are even on the small side for cappuccinos I guess! The weird thing is it is sort of unpredictable when it’s going to hit me too much. I had a little less than this on Monday and was seriously dragging all day (maybe they slipped me decaf?). Anyways, it was enough for me to vow off coffee all together for at least a week. It will be just tea for a while! Ugh. Not good.

Since I got caught in the storm and didn’t cook last night, I bought lunch. I tried something slightly new-a humus sandwich! It’s just hummus and veggies on a whole wheat pita. It was good! The cafe also has other interesting varieties of hummus that I should try at some point.

Also, because I’m doing the whole full disclosure thing-I had a piece of my weakness, marble bread.

After work, I headed to Crossfit. We worked on headstands (!) (yeah, I’m not good at them) and bench presses before going outside for a running related WOD. Which is probably not the best thing for me right now, to be honest, because this week has been very running heavy. My calves were really tight. I’m doing a fair amount of running this weekend as well, so it’s something I need to watch. I’m also going to have to figure out a schedule that isn’t going to torch my calves running every day. That would be a great way to get injured, especially as the long runs get longer. I’m doing OutRun again tomorrow, and it probably will be one of my last because the mileage is adding up quickly!

After Crossfit, I snacked on some chocolate yogurt while making dinner. Definitely not as decadent as it sounds, but still good! And perfect for after a tough workout.

I roasted brussels sprouts while I chatted with my family, and had a black bean burger to go with them.

I also threw together something I’ve seen going around the blog world-2 ingredient oatmeal cookies. First of all, calling them cookies is quite the exaggeration. They are just banana and oats. I added cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins for cinnamon raisin. These will be perfect pre-run/workout for me though!

And now I’m off to finally catch up on blogs!

So I Guess I Should, You Know, Blog…

Date: June 13, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Greetings from the other side! I am officially done with my sophomore year-yay! Which means I am halfway through college which is kind of concerning…

I decided I should actually blog. It’s been a while, for several reasons. First, I temporarily lost my phone (I left it at a cafe and someone picked it up), then I had to study for finals, and then move out! And now, here we are!

So, I haven’t exercised all that much this week. And my food has erred more on the side of “delicious” versus “healthy.” But it is what it is-you’ve been warned!

In terms of exercise, it’s basically just been Crossfit, although I’m about to head out on a run. I get to go to my home Crossfit, which is exciting! I went last night, and I always forget how much I love it, and all the people there!

In terms of life, I finally went to a Giant’s game yesterday!

It was windy and cold, as per usual! We have the most beautiful ballpark, complete with delicious food.

Ghiradelli hot fudge sundae!

And now some other food from the past week:

My last and second to last coffee from my favorite coffeeshop:

Lunch out with my sister and mom. We went to the Loving Hut, a vegan restaurant, and I got a vegan BLT-tempeh as bacon, plus with avocado!

I also tried a Cronut for the first time! (Croissant doughnut.) It was good! But not the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I wouldn’t stand in a 3 hour line for it.

Breakfast on my last day with a bare fridge-plain yogurt, berries, and sun butter.

After my last final, my sister and I went out to a celebratory lunch at Calafia. I got garlic mushroom noodles, which were delicious!

And for dessert, a chia seed pudding parfait sweetened only with maple syrup. Delicious!

And lastly, I had my first home cooked meal-Grilled chicken and Peach salad! Yum! The peaches at the store weren’t ripe so we actually just used nectarines.

What is crazy to me though is in a week, I’m leaving again! Eek!

Any fun plans for the summer?

Next Quarter’s Meal Plan and Dining Hall Breakfasts

Date: December 12, 2013

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Hey everyone! I am literally so close to being on break! I only have one more exam to go-tomorrow morning! I’m taking a study break to blog-ok, to b honest, a pre-study break. For some reason I got a late start on the day, despite waking up and getting going before my alarm. But I’ve been thinking up a post all morning and I know I’ll be distracted until I post.

First thing’s first. Since my roommate’s birthday is over break, I wanted to do something for her before. She can’t eat gluten, and we’ve both in theory been trying to avoid sugar, so I made her the 21 Day Sugar Detox Apple Spice Sponge Cake from Pain Free Kitchen, and it came out so well! Delicious!

I started my morning with a spin workout on my own and a short run. When I walked out the door, I came upon Finnegan, the friendly campus cat.

He was meowing at someone’s window when I heard him and called out to him. It was 31 degrees this morning-I think he was so cold! He walked right up to the door of my dorm and acted like he wanted in. I felt so bad, but I was on my way out!

My run was only an easy mile on the treadmill. I was planning for 2 but my calves were kind of tired from spinning, and my book on tape ran out. Ok, maybe MOSTLY because my book on tape ran out. Since I was on the other side of campus, it occurred to me to try the campus coffeeshop (a different one). I’m so glad I did, my cappuccino was fantastic.

Also, I just wanted to share with you guys-I’m wearing sparkly pants. Hey, anything that makes me happy during finals week is good enough for me!

Now, let’s talk food. My eating habits haven’t been terrible this quarter. They’ve been pretty decent for the most part (not counting finals/midterm weeks…) and I generally feel pretty good.

As for my body? It’s fine. It’s whatever. I can lift heavy things. That’s cool. But I’m ready for the next thing, the next challenge. I’ve set my sights on faster 5ks-I think my life goal is to break 23:00 (and no I’m not particularly close). I think leaning out is definitely going to help get me there-carrying around extra weight will only make this more difficult! Plus, I hate wasting food. And I hate spending money. And dining hall food for the most part is so-so. And I could definitely feel more awesome overall-I’ve had way too many stomachaches lately.

For some reason, I’ve been especially hungry in the mornings the past few days, and I’ve actually been craving dining hall breakfasts. Here’s today’s (plus a pancake):

Toast with cream cheese, eggs, and spinach, a small blueberry muffin, and fruit. There’s nothing wrong with that. And yet…I feel so gross right now! Dining hall eggs…not the best. I’m not sure what they cook them in-tons of butter? Cream? Ugh. Anyways, back to the meal plan. I’ve made meal plans for myself in the past but they always horribly fail. Why? They’re completely unrealistic. Tip-never make meal plans when you’re really full and can’t imagine being hungry again. The food I plan is only a fraction of what I need to eat so I’m never able to follow them. That being said, I’ve been tracking my caloric intake the past few weeks. I have a pretty decent idea of how much I can eat to maintain my weight. Which means I can make much more realistic meal plans. Honestly, one of the biggest reasons I want to meal plan is to avoid wasting food and eat better food. And have more of a routine-if I have a plan for a similar eating schedule everyday, my body will adjust to it. Plus, if I plan I can go to the campus store and stock up on the veggies I need for the week-which takes meal plan dollars so free food!

I also want to focus more on eating REAL food. It’s hard to eat well when you don’t have the right things on hand. I found myself overdosing on Thinkthin bars the past few days, which is not great for my stomach-but they’re so convenient!

In the afternoons, I usually want something sweet and carby. So why fight it? It’s better than stuffing myself on “healthy alternatives” immediately before a workout (not a good feeling). I used to eat banana bread before morning weights in high school, and all kinds of quick bread before morning practice for crew last year, so it actually is the perfect pre-workout fuel for me (wonder why my body craves it? Our bodies are smart!). Over break, I’m going to make a ton of quick breads and freeze them. I’m already dreaming of my double chocolate banana bread.

For breakfasts, I might go back to my typical high school post workout meal of yogurt with honey (which the school market sells), or with brown rice syrup and cocoa powder.

Maybe some days, cottage cheese and fruit. Maybe something with sweet potato? It’s going to take some experimentation. And maybe some meals at the dining hall-with hard boiled eggs, not scrambled though!

I also want to do weekly veggie prep. And lunch prep-I generally pack my lunch, and given I usually have -2 seconds to pack my lunch as I run out the door, it would be great if it was easy. And I love getting some veggies in at lunch!

I’m also crazy excited to go home tomorrow and eat whatever my little heart desires. I’ve been craving my spinach-chocolate protein smoothies like crazy lately!

I’m also confident that I can maintain good health over the holidays-and no, I have no intention of depriving myself either! I’m in a much better place this year than last year-last year I felt like I was missing out on the holidays by being at school, so I compensating by gorging on holiday foods. I felt awesome over Thanksgiving break, so I’m just looking forward to enjoying the holidays free of worry!

Speaking of looking forward to-not sure if anyone’s been keeping track, but I have my Santa Run 5k on Sunday! I’m super excited-I pretty much have my outfit planned out. And no, I won’t be wearing a Santa Suit-I want to PR! After not being able to see me at the finish of the Turkey Trot, I had requests form my family to not wear the same color as everyone else, so I’m thinking my neon green shirt from last year’s Santa Run should stick out!

I’ve been training my butt off for this race! Track workouts 2x a week in dark sub-freezing temperatures, Crossfit, and extra rowing workouts…I’m ready!

I have 5ks scheduled for February and March before I get into half training, so I will definitely be able to see if my whole meal planning thing makes any progress for me!

As for the future? I really love short speed workouts. I have 2 halfs scheduled…and after that? Haha, most likely I will either retire from distance running for a while because my feet definitely prefer shorter distances, or run a full marathon. Opposite extremes, right?

Have a great day everyone!

Do you plan or prep meals?

Napa

Date: November 25, 2013

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

I hope everyone is having a great, short week! I definitely am having an amazing time-I have all week off!

This morning, I woke up early for abs class and spinning on my own. I’m already sore from abs! For spin, i did the same class I did last Thursday, but on a different type of bike-on “real” spin bikes it was definitely harder! I left completely drenched.

Once home, I experienced one of the great lies of the world.

Flavored coffee. It smells amazingly delicious-this one was French vanilla-and then…it tastes like coffee. I mean it wasn’t bad coffee-just a disappointment.

I also had this bar-pretty good!

After more furry kitty time (and therefore sneezing and itchy eyes), it was time to make the drive to Napa!

We stopped at the Genova Delicatessen, one of our longtime favorites.

This local favorite features sandwiches, interesting packaged foods, and housemade pasta. I always order the egg salad-it’s amazingly rich, so my mom and I shared a sandwich, along with a side of Greek cucumber salad.

We also sampled some desserts-Bananas Foster and Caramel Apple pies.

Everything was delicious. I brought some kombucha that I bought yesterday as well-guava is a new to me flavor, and while not my favorite, it was still delicious, and more special than just water for a deli meal.

We have a tradition of going to Ross Dress for Less in Napa every year at Thanksgiving, so we spent a couple of hours combing the shelves there. I ended up leaving with a new shirt and some photo props for some Christmas-bloggy things.

We then checked in and took a walk around the grounds.

The lighting was perfect, and I was actually wearing real people clothes (well, jeans and a scarf-not workout clothes!), so we took advantage of the situation and took some artsy photos.

A nice snowy day!

HAH. If that was actually snow, I would be wearing about 10 more layers. It’s sand!

Then, we settled into our room for a cozy night and room service. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad, but the dressing was a little too anchovy-y for my taste.

For dessert, I had a slice of Cranberry bread and a chocolate shortbread cookie.

I’m feeling pretty confident about my ability to stay healthy and sane during the holidays this year. So far, I’m choosing foods that make me feel good, but also enjoying the treats in moderation and not stressing about it. I had a lot of stress going into the holidays last year (rowing, adjusting to college, being away from home for the holiday season, just finding out I was not longer trying to drop weight to row lightweight…), and I think it made me go a little crazy. I somehow managed to gain 6 pounds last year over the week of Thanksgiving. And I’m not talking about the “oh, too much turkey in my stomach, but it’s gone in a few days” pounds. I’m talking about lasting weight-do the math and think about how much I would have had to eat to accomplish that. I’m in SO much of a better place this year! It really is amazing how much I’ve grown and improved in the last year.

And, I’m getting really excited for my Turkey Trot! It’s weird because I basically haven’t trained for this particular race at all, so I feel really unprepared! I know I’m not though-I’ve still been running!

What are your holiday traditions?

Multitasking and I’m Finally Doing It!

Date: October 2, 2013

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Hello everyone! I wasn’t exactly planning on posting, but this day has become more post-able so here I am.

My alarm went off this morning…freaking too early. 4.5 hours of sleep after a 5 hour of sleep night is just not enough. But that’s temporary. I headed to the gym for a lifting session. It was supposed to be entirely leg day (my Leg Demolisher workout, but I didn’t have a bar to use for overhead squats, so instead I made myself a little pull up WOD. Before that, I tested with the pull up machine how little resistance I could use and still be able to perform the exercise. GUYS. I’m only 25 pounds away from being able to do a real live pull up! Anyways, the WOD was 15-12-9 pull ups and box jumps. Short and sweet.

I also added on some planks. I’ve definitely neglected ab work lately, and after power yoga tonight as well, I can already feel it.

After my workout, my sleep deprivation started to catch up to me, so I went to the dining hall for breakfast for the first time this year for some quick coffee.

Life saver. Except not because either dining hall coffee isn’t very strong or I’m just used to my beloved cappuccinos. I was very tired today, and we’ll leave it at that. Here are some other morning eats.

Dining hall fruit. Not too shabby!

Casually stealing eggs from the dining hall in a glass…That’s totally normal…

I really tried to rally after finishing the days classes to go to the lab, but the banana was just not going to be a substitute for sleep. I decided I wouldn’t be able to do good work anyways so I returned to my dorm for a glorious, glorious nap.

After my nap, I made a half asleep decision to have a snack of pumpkin cream cheese and pumpkin butter on crackers. I say half asleep because I could not for the life of me remember making that decision…but hey, it was a delicious one! Aaaand let’s just say the pumpkin cream cheese may kinda sorta be gone already.

I spent the rest of the afternoon finishing this week’s problem sets (yay!) and skipping my run because I napped for so long. I’m fine with this-my original plan was 3x a week, so the 4th run is icing.

Chicken, balsamic salad, and root vegetables that tasted how horses smell. But maybe I’m just not a root vegetable person.

Baby dessert-muesli with a little grape jelly and almond milk-so happy the dining hall has almond milk this year! The whole “only pumpkin desserts” thing? Well…

They brought gourmet ice cream sandwiches to our house meeting…And once again, the free foods wins. Which is partly why I’m still awake.

Before the house meeting, I spent a ton of time on iTunes browsing new spin music. Did you know there was a genre called “hardcore dance”? Interesting…Well, I made a class for myself to do sometime this week. Which leads to the multitasking. I decided to listen to the playlist to get a feel for it while doing laundry (yes, it’s 11pm). I desperately needed to do laundry-I have no clothes left (specifically workout clothes) plus my sorority has a mixer on Friday and I won’t have any time on Friday to do it then. I decided to do half a load tonight and half a load tomorrow. So I’m currently doing laundry, blogging, and checking up on my playlist.

Also-I was stupid enough to throw all my clothes in the dryer and press start…before realizing it was the dryer and not the washer. Yes, it’s been that long since I’ve done laundry.

And after all this spin talk, guess what??

I finally registered for spin certification training! So, I’m actually doing it-I’m going to teach spin! The class is 9am-6pm. I’m HOPING we’re not on the bike for the whole time….

That’s all I have today! My laundry calls!