Friday Favorites

 Happy Friday! This is my last official Friday of summer as I start in-services on Monday. Our school is currently starting remotely so we'll see how that goes! I have a busy weekend ahead of me! I'm going to visit my friend Rachel for her birthday on Saturday and on Sunday we are getting together with John's best friend for a belated birthday celebration for John. It should be fun! Before I sign off and start this last summer weekend, I'm sharing a few things I've been loving this week.

Gatorade Endurance Energy Gel
I did a long run on Wednesday and figured I should probably bring some fuel with me. I grabbed a gel I had gotten during the Philadelphia Marathon last year (it was their course fuel) without knowing how it would be. Luckily, it ended up being great! It was apple pear flavored and had a thinner consistency than most gels, such a GU. I liked the fruity flavor which surprised me because I'm a die-hard S'mores GU fan but I just felt like it was much easier to digest when my stomach was already a bit wonky from the heat. I haven't tried their other energy gel flavors (vanilla, blackberry, and mango) but now I want to!

Honey Mustard Pretzels
I picked up these honey mustard pretzels at my local Amish Market last week to try and switch up my snack options. I was hooked from the first bite! They're the perfect salty snack to have on hand throughout the day, but fair warning, the honey mustard powder coating can get messy! My dad said they reminded him of Snyder's Honey Mustard and Onion pretzels so if you don't have an Amish Market nearby, I suggest picking those up! I'm planning to grab a bag on my next grocery trip to compare them.

Weighted Blanket
I've been eyeing one up for a couple months now so I figured it was the perfect purchase to use an Amazon gift card I had been holding onto on. They can be pretty expensive but I ended up finding a decently priced one on Amazon and bit the bullet on buying it the other day. I went with the queen size and it came to $40, which I learned after some research is fairly cheap. I've only had it for a few days now but I just had to include it in today's post because I am OBSESSED! I mainly bought it in hopes it would help me fall asleep faster at night. Let me tell you, it works! I was asleep so quick the first night I tried it. The next morning I decided to push off my run until later in the day and I fell asleep as soon as I changed my alarm, which never happens. Once I'm awake, I'm up for the day usually so this is a game changer. The material it is made out of is super soft and doesn't get extremely hot like I expected.

Question of the Day: What have you been loving this week?

Friday Favorites

 Another week has come and gone so here is another Friday Favorites post! Work will be starting up shortly for me which means I'm really trying to soak in these summer days. I spent a lot of time this past week seeing some friends while also getting things done around the house in preparation for a crazy school year. This weekend is John's birthday but, as of now, we don't have any set in stone plans. All I know is we are celebrating tomorrow with his parents and Sunday (his actual birthday) just us. Before I sign off and go get wrap up his presents, I'm sharing a few things I've been loving this week.

Dunkin' Pumpkin Iced Coffee with Oat Milk
As of August 19th, pumpkin is back at Dunkin'! I know a lot of people think it's too early but it's been a rough couple months so please just let us pumpkin lovers have this, haha. Anyway, along with pumpkin, Dunkin' also released a few other new items, one being oat milk as an option! I was all over this as any real dairy can mess with my stomach. I went the other day and got my usual pumpkin iced coffee, but instead of cream, I got the oat milk. Holy moly was it yummy! I'd compare it to the creaminess of regular cream but without the stomachache after. I highly recommend a pumpkin iced coffee with oat milk or any of your favorite Dunkin' beverage with oat milk!

Dunkin' Mocha Latte Cereal
Sorry to my non-coffee loving friends, but another coffee related item! Post recently released a Dunkin' line of cereal. They currently offer two flavors: caramel macchiato and mocha latte. While at the grocery store on Wednesday, I caved and picked up a box of the mocha latte cereal. Of course I came right home and poured myself a bowl. Guys, the flavor is phenomenal! The combination of coffee and mocha flavors is spot on and the little marshmallows are a much-loved touch. Now I'm eager to try the caramel macchiato flavor!

Special Edition Gunmetal ROADiD
This week ROADiD released a new finish option for the 19mm wrist ID- gunmetal. As an ambassador, I got first dibs at getting one and I jumped on the chance! There are five amazing band colors to choose from- bubble gum (the color I chose!), swim trunks (blue), tennis ball (bright yellow), charcoal, and sidewalk (kind of like an off-white). I'm pretty sure I let out a squeal when I opened the box and saw how pretty the gunmetal grey hardware looked against the bright pink band. SO. PRETTY. Like all ROADiD wrist IDs, the quality of both the silicone band (which is adjustable for all wrist sizes!) and hardware is wonderful. Plus, I feel safe going on a run knowing all my emergency information is right on wrist if needed! If you're interested in buying one, or any ROADiD, use my code EMILY_2020 until October 1st for a discount!

Question of the Week: What is something you've been loving this week?

Running Streak Tips

If you follow me on Instagram then it's no secret that I've been doing a run streak since the end of May (today is day 76!). My sister and I started a run streak together as a way to challenge ourselves since we were both currently not following any sort of training schedule. While we might not be going super long distances or running at phenomenal paces every day, we are still enjoying ourselves and loving our daily routine. Neither of us know how long we will continue this for especially with school (and crazy schedules!) quickly approaching. Today I'm sharing with you some things I've personally learned throughout the past few months of my run streak.

Get it done with early. I learned that, personally, I do better when I get my daily run done with before I even start my day. I literally get up and ready, drink some water, and go. When I get back home, I am always full of energy and ready to start my day. It also feels nice later in the day knowing that I already ran for the day so it's okay if I'm getting tired and just want to chill.

Get into a routine. I really can't stress this one enough! Once you get yourself into a routine with running each day, it will feel much easier. The most stressful part of running for me is trying to plan and squeeze it in each day. When it's already built into my daily routine, I don't have to think about it.

If you're feeling exhausted, space out your runs. This was a tip my sister found somewhere online and I wish I knew where so I could credit them because it's a good one! This may contradict my first two tips but hear me out. Most days I run anywhere from 1-4 miles but at least once a week I will do a longer run. If I feel completely drained later in the day, after I've already run my longer distance, I will plan to run the next day later in the day to maximize my recovery time. It will mess with my routine for a few days, and most likely force me to only run a mile or two the next day or so, but it's worth it for my body!

Don't obsess over each run. In the beginning of my streak, I was getting annoyed that my paces weren't the best and some days I just really couldn't push myself past that first mile. After beating myself up for a couple days I finally realized- I'm running every freakin' day, of course I'll have slower/harder days! Instead of obsessing over each and every run, I just focus on my love of running. If I know I want to do some sort of speed work or Bad Ass Lady Gang guided workout one day, I will try and pick a day where I haven't been running too much leading up to it.

Make everything accessible. Now that running is part of my daily routine, my sunglasses and headphones have become a permanent decoration on my dining room server. My running shoes are kept in the same spot every day so I don't have to take time searching the house. I pick out what I'm going to wear each night before I go to bed. I do all of this so I have no excuses. Each morning I wake up, grab all my running gear from their respective places, and go. No thinking, no searching. Just running. And maybe you don't want your running gear on display at all times. I get that. So maybe you can find a spot in your closet or a drawer somewhere in your house to be the home for your everyday running accessories. Whatever works for you!

Question of the Day: Have you ever had a run streak? If so, how many days did it last?

Friday Favorites

Happy First Friday of August! I have a love/hate relationship with the month of August. I love it because a lot of important dates fall during this month but then I hate it because it means work starts back up very soon. One of those important dates I've mentioned is our wedding anniversary this Sunday! As of now we have a low key weekend planned that may or may not involve waffles & ice cream 😉 Anywho- another Friday, another post with some things I've been loving!

My New Car

On Tuesday I finally traded in my 2001 Honda CRV for a 2017 Honda HRV EX-L! I am over the moon excited over here! We've been planning to get me a new car for awhile now, then covid-19 happened and our search came to a pause. We picked back up last week and during our search came across this beauty! It is the perfect car for me and has so many great features, most importantly being heated seats and power locks (you'd understand if you ever were in my old car). I highly recommend this car for anyone in the market for a smaller size SUV. 

Nuun Tank Top

I saw this new Nuun tank top pop up in my Nuun Ambassador Facebook group last week and knew I just had to have it! I'm currently doing a runstreak so all my running clothes are really taking a beating. I used that as justification for treating myself to this! This tank top is super soft, the pink is very eye-catching, and it has a very flattering fit. It's Bella + Canvas brand, which is one of my favorites! All proceeds of the sales benefit the organization &Mother, an organization who breaks down barriers
"that limit a woman’s choice to pursue and thrive in both career and motherhood."

Old Navy Linen Shorts

I bought a pair of these shorts last year because I needed some new shorts for my honeymoon. They've since become my favorite casual shorts and I'm not sure why I don't own them in every color yet. They're lightweight, have a drawstring to tighten them around the waist, and aren't super short, making them very comfortable! I'm hoping I can find a few pairs on clearance as the summer comes to an end.

Question of the Day: What is something you've been loving this week?