Still Sans Car

Well, car shopping didn't go exactly as planned...but it could have been way worse! We ended up going to 2 dealerships, but neither of them had the model we wanted to look at! Which is weird because I looked up the inventory online before we left and it looked like they had them. (??) But what's even weirder, is neither place even tried to show us something else! I mean, I didn't want them to, but I was all prepared for super-pushy "I know what you want better than you do" kind of salespeople. A nice surprise, I guess! So, the search will continue, but hopefully not for too long.

So, backing up, yesterday morning I got up and ate a slice of bread with peanut butter and a (little) slice of bread with cream cheese before heading out for my run.

I had an easy (as in don't push the pace) 3 miles on the schedule, but let me tell you, it was HARD! I don't know what it was, but my body was not liking what I was asking it to do. There were a few big hills on my route, so I opted to walk up them. I also tried more of a walk/run method for my last mile. To my surprise it was the fastest mile of the 3! I'm really bad about beating myself up when I have to walk, so I'm working on convincing myself that it's not a bad thing. Sometimes, you just have to listen to your body. And apparently walking for a bit doesn't automatically mean you'll be slower!

For lunch I had leftover mac n cheese that I reheated with a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese mixed in. I always add this or plain yogurt to leftover mac n cheese, because it just doesn't reheat well otherwise. I'm guessing a little cream cheese would work, as well. I also had some sun tea and chips & salsa.

On our way to the first dealership, we stopped for a pick-me-up...iced soy lattes, mmmmmmm!

After the shopping trip, we met up with our friends Laura & Jonathan for dinner and beer. We started with a plate of cheesy, curly fries to split between the four of us.

(They were just as bad - and delicious - as they look.)

For dinner I ordered the Boca burger, but I only ended up eating half of the burger and some of the chips. I'm actually not a huge fan of Boca burgers - they're a little too 'meaty' for me. I prefer more of a 'veggie' burger. I had a Boulevard wheat to drink, but apparently forgot to take a picture of it!

This morning, I met up with the running club for an 8 mile run. This is the furthest I've run since my marathon last November, and I was kinda nervous! Before I left the house, I had 2 slices of bread with peanut butter.

I am already sooooo glad I joined this club! It was grey and rainy this morning, and if it weren't for the fact that I was meeting up with people, I would definitely have stayed in bed. The first 3 miles were straight into the wind! At points it felt like I wasn't moving. We were all lamenting about it, and from that I found great support. I just kept thinking, "There is no way I would still be running if I were trying to do this on my own!" We did a bit more chatting during the second half of the run, and it felt much easier than I expected. I think it was even easier than the 3 miler I did yesterday. Environment plays a big part!!

After the run, most of us gathered at a nearby coffee shop for caffeine and more chatting. It was so nice to just hang out with people for a while and share running stories! (Man, I am such a loner most of the time!)

At the coffee shop I had a soy latte and an orange muffin, so when I got home I was ready to jump right into a hot shower and then back into bed. It's Sunday, I can do that!

After my nap, I made a big ol' salad for lunch. This is kind of my rendition of the BBQ chopped salad at California Pizza Kitchen. Remember the baked BBQ tofu I made the other day? Well it became the star of my salad! I started with a bed a spinach, and then added some brown rice and the BBQ tofu for substance (that run made me hungry!) Then I added diced tomato, orange bell pepper, corn, a little cheddar cheese, and crushed blue corn chips. The dressing was a mix of plain yogurt and BBQ sauce. YUM!! This really hit the spot!

It was grey and rainy all day, so I made myself a big mug of my favorite tea before I headed out to run a couple of errands...in my parents' minivan. Thanks, parents!!

When I got home, I made a quick protein-packed scramble for a light dinner. This is one egg, one egg white, a MorningStar Farms sausage patty, and a Laughing Cow cheese wedge.

Now it's time to curl up on the couch with:

...to watch:

...while snacking on these:

...and crying my eyes out! Happy weekend, everyone!