Well, well, well. My run this morning was quite the ordeal!!
#1 Daylight
I am working 10-6 today because we are showing the movie FRESH tonight!! Since the RD that I’m with today is out of the office until 3PM, we worked it out so I could work on my big research project from my home computer (where I have the new PowerPoint and a wide screen) instead of working on the older office computer. SO I’m home until after lunch!
So the 7 mile run I had to fit in this week worked out perfectly for this day because I knew I’d have some sunshine to run with
KERF: 1 – Obstacles: 0
#2 Weather
Forecast = RAIN. I didn’t know what it would be like when I woke up so I decided to play it by ear. When I got up the roads were dry!
KERF: 2 – Obstacles: 0
#3 Cold
I also didn’t know if it would be wise to run this morning with my cold, which might have been worse. But it’s better!!! I feel so much better. It’s still there, but it’s on the downslope.
I think the #1 way to tell if you should exercise or not is your energy levels. Yesterday I did not have energy. Today when I stretched my legs, I knew my mitochondria were up for a run!
KERF: 3 – Obstacles: 0
#4 Hydration + Distance
Knowing I was coming off of sickness, I wanted to be extra careful of hydration and distance in case I wanted to stop early. This run was not about speed or time – just doing it. So I planned two loops: a 4 mile loop and a 3 mile loop and came back for water in-between. Also knew I could stop after 4 if I needed to but I did great so I kept going!
KERF: 4 – Obstacles: 0
#5 Music
I was thinking I’d listen to New Moon on my iPhone while I ran but I discovered that all my music was deleted! So I turned to my backup iPod and set out.
Not half a mile into the run my iPod died 
KERF: 4 – Obstacles: 2
#6 Weather
The weather came back to bite me!! Just after leaving on my second loop it started to rain. Not pour. Just rain. Not cool, sky! Not cool!
KERF: 4 – Obstacles: 3
#7 Blisters
Wet shoes = blister. Not good for my 10 miler on Saturday!
KERF: 4 – Obstacles: 4 <– tied up!!
#7 Giving Up
Despite the obstacles, I completed all 7 miles!! I ran slow, but it was a great run! Wheee!
[The time is off because I left my Garmin on while I showered! I finished in about 1:06]
KERF: 5 – Obstacles: 4
KERF WINS!
For breakfast I wanted either a SIAB or a yogurt bowl and couldn’t decide. I also had this Banana Almond Muffin to use!
I decided I should get in the GREENS and that I could crumble the muffin on my SIAB! (I don’t like muffins eaten whole – they go down in two bites. I prefer them crumbled)
Smoothie ingredients:
- Kale
- Whole banana
- Half packet of Chocolate Amazing Meal
- 1/2 tbsp Chia Seeds
- 1/3 cup TJ’s Euro yogurt
- 2/3 cup milk
Kale is not for the faint of heart!!! It does not sweeten like baby spinach and you can taste it in a green smoothie!! FYI!!!!
But with the muffin top and some Justin’s Maple Almond Butter sauce, this bowl still rocked!
Almond butter sauce = 1 part almond butter + 1 part milk, heated for 15 seconds and stirred vigorously.
Lisa at the Simple Spatula sent me some of this Harney + Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea after I visited her in NYC. I was in the mood for tea today! Coffee just doesn’t go well with SIABs.
Love the little silk bags…
It was naturally sweet! I’m not sure what made it sweet (the label says "natural and artificial flavors") but it was a pleasant surprise. Just don’t over steep or it becomes over sweet!
Some chandelier tea for ya 
Happy Birthday Emily!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gotta get to work!
{ 92 comments… read them below or add one }
Almond butter sauce! Great idea, THANKYOU!
I think it’s a good running day today, I did my first ever FIFTEEN MILES!! I’m on such a runner’s high right now 
I had a WIN day yesterday too!! The best days, they are!
Congrats on your run
And well done on the KERF win
Have a great one
great job on the run!!! thats some obstacles to overcome! rain and a dying ipod would have been enough to tick me off lol!
yay for KERF! I never doubted you
Harney + Sons makes THE BEST tea! have your tried their tropical green flavor? It is my FAVORITE! Green tea with a hint of pineapple – so yummy!
If that tea is sweet, then I’d probably love it!
Glad to see you came out on top! Happy Birthday Emily!
Haha…glad to hear your mitochondria were up for that run!
For the blisters, I’d say put on some neosporine (or something similair) and band-aid them up!
Your big bowl of green looks awesome this morning! And I’m totally loving the nut butter sauce ideas. I did this with peanut butter last week on top of a cold bowl of yogurt mess, and it was perfect! Definitely not as flavorful as straight up peanut butter, but it still tasted good and I liked that I was able to spread it out evenly.
Yikes, what a morning! I’m impressed how much you overcame and still got a decent run in!
I love that tea!!!! I get it everytime I go to Starbucks at Barnes and Nobles! YUM! Glad you liked it.
I hate it when my iPOD dies when running
You’re such a trooper! Way to get in a great run
Have a great day!!
All in all, your run was a success! I want to make some AB sauce for my breaky!! Looks like a great breakfast to help your cold!
Glad you are feeling better and kicked those obstacles butts! Get some mole skin and your blister will be a-ok for your ten miler this weekend.
congrats on overcoming those obstacles
good for you! i’ve got to try that almond butter sauce, it looks so good!!!! that tea sounds right up my ally as well!
hope you have a good rest of the day!
Congrats on your run!!!!
I’ve never thought of a muffin on a SIAB! Where have I been? I like muffins crumbled too, especially on yogurt. Makes them last
Sounds like a great accomplishment to beat all your obstacles and run a strong seven miles!
And I looove Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea. It’s unbelievable how sweet it is without added sugar!
Have a wonderful day!
Great job on the run! I hate it when it seems like Mother Nature is out to cancel your workout plans, but when you overcome, it feels amazing!!!
Glad to see you’re feeling better! & nice job on the run!!
Yikes, what the morning! Way to kick that run’s hinny. The tea sounds delicious.
I have yet to try kale in my smoothies–kinda scurred!
You shoulda run 0.04 more miles to make it 7.26!!! Not that 7.22 wasn’t enough
Ha! I was too tired!
oh no! I hate when the ipod dies…I had a situation with my iphone music on Sunday. sorry to hear it was all deleted. The tea looks awesome!
Oh and Harney and Sons rox my world
Good for you for completing you run despite all the obstacles.
Congrats on the 7-miler! I’m glad you’re over the “sickness hump” as depicted in the diagram lol.
I agree, Kale is NOT for the faint of heart
good job on your 7 miler. There are days that I wish I could work from home… or even on my own schedule.. but unfortunately a lot of the older engineers strive on the 7-5 and if you are 1 minute late that is a big no-no.
Yay for you and AWESOME job on the 7 miler
I am still trying to learn to like kale in forms other than kale chips – any suggestions?
Steam-sauteed? If you click on kale in my tag-cloud you’ll find the ways I use it.
That is one of my all time favorite teas! So sweet and yummy.
Way to kill the obstacles, lady.
I made a kale smoothie this morning with kefir, beet and chia seed. Ugh! I know it’s incredibly healthy, but I agree, the kale is a little rough to take in the raw state! I think I’ll keep the kale and beet separate next time and doctor it up with an orange or frozen fruit.
Have you heard that it’s better to make vegetable smoothies or fruit smoothie – no combining because they use different enzymes to break them down? I need to check that out.
Unless you have a digestive enzyme deficiency or medical problem, there’s no reason not to eat fruits + veggies together. (Do you think our ancestors stopped to let their fruit digest before they ate some lettuce? Probably not!)
Congrats on overtaking all of your obstacles! I would be really nervous to make a SIAB for myself, but I have this strange feeling that I would really enjoy it if you would make one for me.
Look what you have inspired! Thank you! http://manhartfamily.blogspot.com/2010/02/let-them-eat-kale.html
I love your sick/healthy chart — you crack me up! Its pouring here in Boston too, when will the spring come?!?
what a fun post! congrats on your “win!”
Congrats on the run and making it through the obstacles! The SIAB looks like an awesome post-run bfast.
this is hilarious…i’m so glad you beat the obstacles! take care of that blister for Saturday and hope you have a fabulous day
That’s my favorite tea ever– and sadly, I’m on my last bag!
I think that tea is so delicious! I’ve had it a couple times…
OH and rumor has it that Fresh Market’s spring blend is coming soon!!!!!!!!
p.s. you and your readers should check out my giveaway! It’s for this amazing lotion!!
Can’t wait!!
Congratz on the run!! Always finishing that extra distance feels great~ And good luck on Saturday!
Are those SIABs thick and creamy or is it more like eating soup with a muffin on top?
More like soup…
Good job on the run! You overcame plenty of obstacles. I am glad you are on the upswing of the cold, too!
Harney & Sons Cinnamon Spice is the greatest thing to have ever existed – I’m so jealous of you right now. Enjoy the magic!
i’m with ya, muffins are way better crumbled into something than on their own, way more filling with something else! glad to see you came out victorious after your running ordeal
yay for coming out on top! our weather in VA is pretty crummy today, too, and we may have more snow tonight! Boo.
That tea sounds SO good. I love cinnamon.
Great job overcoming those obstacles! I love Harney + Sons tea
Yay, for beating the obstacles!!!
Ugh– nothing worse than the i-pod dying early on in a long run!!
Great job on finishing the run! I’m impressed! And your smoothie ina bowl looks delicious but the kale does make me a little nervous haha
I’ve heard that kale is good in GM, but I’ve been afraid to try it. Think I’ll stick with spinach for now!
Way to beat all the obstacles today!
I’m a little afraid, too! Just getting around to doing the spinach thing, actually.
Great job!! I need to try my green monster in a bowl!!
Way to go with the 7 miler! You knocked all those obstacles out of the way girl. Your green SIAB looks yummy and like it would make your yummy feel good too.
This is such a different sort of breakfast, but looks divine.
Yay for “defeating” the run! I feel like I did the same thing this morning. And I’m with ya on muffins being way better crumbled!
Hot cinnamon spice tea sounds absolutely amazing…probably because I’m getting over a cold right now and looking out at MORE snow on my deck!
Great job on beating out the obstacles and getting the miles in. I’m training for a half marathon as well and can’t wait to get some more miles under my belt.
Courtney
adventures in tri-ing
YAY GO TEAM KERF!
That muffin looks yummy. Noted about kale for smoothies. I made the best smoothie the other day with:
Frozen banana
Plant protein powder
Baby spinach
Avocado
Hemp milk
I used my new Vita-Mix and it came out like mousse! I kid you not
Try it!! It’s on my blog if you want a visual. 
Jenn
Well at least you got the run in though. It always feels good once it’s over.
Oh, man. I’ve gotta commend you on this one. This is what the score would’ve been for me this morning: Jenny- 0, Obstacles- too embarrassing to list how badly they kicked my butt. I am not what one would call a morning person by any means. I’m an absolute beast and of course, I’d use the rain as an excuse to be a grump. I’m not approachable for at least 20 minutes after I wake up. Oy.
An inspiration, I’ll surely be remembering this post the next time there are obstacles to my planned run!! Thanks!!! Hope your blisters are ok…
You’re too funny! I love this post. Good luck with work and your run!!
I forgot my socks to go the gym today, so that was definitely an obstacle!! I ended up running hme fast to grab them, and still got a great workout in!!
Great job on the run!
The almond butter sauce over your SIAB looks devine.
Good for you on the run and I am glad you are feeling better. I have been fighting some weird cold/bug. I have done the same with just taking it easy on the workouts, but today was a better day! I am totally with you on the muffin thing. I love it broken up on my oats. It just seems to do further! Have a great day and good luck on your powerpoint!
Congrats on a great run!
Hi Kath,
Good job on your run this morning BUT I just want to warn you from a doctor’s stand point to take it easy!!! Even if you do just have a simple cold, your body still needs rest in order to recover and not get MORE sick. I highly recommend a day of complete rest tomorrow.
Kath!
I have 2 big thank yous for inspiring me!
1. I finally started putting spinach in my morning smoothies, and you are right, it tastes GREAT!
2. I finally got the courage to start my own blog (I’ve been wanting to for quite some time) and it is such an amazing experience, I love it!
Thank you for such a great blog. Reading your posts definitely gives me something to look forward to during my work day!
- Bri
Awesome!!! Congrats on the blog!
Hooray for KERF!
When I add kale to my green smoothies, I usually add 1.5 cups spinach and 1/2 cup kale. I can’t taste it at all!
I saw a screening of Fresh a couple of months ago during Austin’s Eat Local Week. (Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms was supposed to be there for a Q&A—I was so excited! But alas he was snowed in at the airport in DC and didn’t make it) Anyway, it was good, but I think Food Inc. was more eye-opening and powerful…..(But FRESH is still good, especially as an introductory film for people that haven’t been exposed to much information on those subjects)
we always knew you’re a winner!
that tea looks exquisite -
where can i find it??
i think tea is my passion,
my hobby and my art.
hence i stormed every loose-leaf tea shop in london
last time i visited!
they sell it in barnes and noble or you can google harney and sons and buy it from their website..African Autumn is good too!
thanks lisa!
i’m on it.
OMG!! THANK YOU!! So far a pretty good day. Although my wallet has gone missing, which is a liiiiiiittle bit stressful :/ Hoping it turns up in time for birthday cake!!
Congrats on the awesome run!
Way to beat the obstacles today!!
What a great run! I would NOT call that slow….Jeez…..
have a great day!
Glad you overcame the obstacles! And your pace is still super fast in my book.
Harney is my favorite tea – have you tried other flavors? The vanilla is incredible.
Hope you continue to feel better!
I bet I’d love the vanilla! I’ll look for it!
Haha love the KERF v. Obstacles game
Grats on the win.
I love it when I can get my run in before work! Saves so much time.
I haven’t tried the smoothie in a bowl w/ toppings yet. That muffin sounds very delicious, though!
Ahh, I got blisters today, too…wet shoes ick. They’re on the bottom of my heels, too – which is no fun. I peeled off my shoes and socks as soon as humanly possible. Glad to hear you’re feeling a bit better!
Yum!! Great job on the run..I did 7.3 Monday night! Tomorrow night is my mini training…I believe we are doing 5
Good job on your run! The iPod would have bothered me the most … music makes the time fly by! I’m too chicken to try kale in a smoothie … maybe one day! I do, however, like my muffins crumbled.
K
good to know about the kale in the smoothies – will NOT be trying that!
I’m so envious of your cold being on the way out! I just flew from England to German and the air pressure was agony on ym ears, and now Ican barely hear a thing out of either ear! Wish I’d triumphed over my obstacles…
Congrats on getting through that run and I’m so glad you like the tea! Now that I think about it though I’m not sure where the sweetness comes from either. I never realized it said artificial flavors (maybe cause I really wouldn’t expect tea to have unnatural things in it?). I also agree you can’t over steep it or it starts to burn your throat from the sweetness and spice.
Hope you’re over your sickness!
-Lisa
Do you make your own muffins? I would really like to know your recipe. Congrats on your run!
No, it’s from Great Harvest.
I’m def going to try a kale smoothie. I never think of these things, amazing!
One of my friends got me totally HOOKED on that hot cinnamon spice tea… it is so yum.
my eyes lit up when I saw the tea! I must find it!
I love when people conquer their obstacles. Good job for getting in your run!
Nice job today! Hot Cinnamon Spice is my absolute fave
A group of friends and I saw a screening of FRESH a couple months ago here in NY. It was pretty good … not as “in your face” as some other similar movies.
Hope your long run worked out better for you than mine did. I was holding a cold off at a sore throat until my 10 mile run Sunday. I got attacked full force by Monday morning. I’m thinking the scheduled 7 mile tempo run today is going to be an easy 5 instead.
I got that tea as a gift at Christmas and am SO addicted. My sister in law got it for me a shop that only sells tea, and they said it is by far their best seller and that they frequently run out of it. I bought 2 containers!