Tuesday Happenings: Tempo Runs and Chili for Dinner
Good morning and happy Wednesday. Today, I am sharing a peek into our Tuesday. Yesterday was one of those really, really good days and I am excited to share with you all a glimpse into one of our typical, yet above average days. I just realized too, that these posts are now routinely appearing on the blog, which I am kind of loving. So, be sure to expect some more of these coming your way. I hope you all have a fantastic Wednesday and thank you for stopping by Lulu Runs today!
Morning and Breakfast
My Tuesday morning began early (but not bright) at 5:15. I had purposely set my alarm at this hour, because I really wanted to have time with just Jesus and I before the craziness of another day began. One of my goals for the fall, is to establish my early morning, alone time with Jesus again. Before Benaiah, I would wake up early and have time with just Jesus and I and now, with our little early riser, it is much harder to fit in a solid quiet time. However, I know that most of that is due to me just not getting up as early as I need to. Thankfully, Tuesday morning, I woke up early enough, poured myself a cup of foamy coffee and cracked open my Bible by five thirty. Having time with my Savior in the stillness of the morning is what my soul needs and as I grow in age and my faith, I realize just how vital this is to my overall health.
After devotions, Benaiah (and Landon) were still sleeping, so I took advantage of the quiet house by putting in thirty minutes of work. I debated on squeezing in a workout, but since I had a four mile, tempo run on the schedule and it was still pitch black outside, I opted to wait until Benaiah was up and I could go with him, in the light with the stroller. Now that I’ve done hundreds of stroller miles, my body is used to it and I really, enjoy it actually. I still love running ‘free’, but stroller running is fine with me too! As long as I am running 😉
Shortly after I finished working, I heard Benaiah from his room. I quickly snatched him out of his crib, nursed him, and woke Landon up. After a few minutes of family morning snuggles, I made Landon a smoothie, gave Niah a few Cheerios (which he loving refers to as ‘Chhh’s’) and got ready to run.
I planned to do a tempo workout (1 mile w/u + 2 tempo miles at threshold pace + 1 mile c/d for a total of 4 miles.) It started sprinkling as Niah and I headed out, but I didn’t let it bother me. I actually enjoy running in the rain. Thankfully the weather did hold off for us long enough to fit in all four miles. To be honest, this run was tough. My right hip flexor (those darn things) was tight, I didn’t quite hit my goal pace, and I wanted to quit almost every other minute after mile 3. BUT, I did it, my overall pace was good (a 8:45) and it is done. Some days, there are good runs and other days tough runs happen. And it is okay, it’s normal, and we move on with life. 😉
After stretching, I fed Benaiah his breakfast (Cheerios + banana and a little protein smoothie) while I got to work on fixing my smoothie.
I used my Designer Protein whey protein (vanilla almond flavor this time) with a scoop of peanut butter, a handful of spinach, a little ice, 1.2 frozen bananas, and almond milk. It hit the spot and made me feel 13453x better. Benaiah enjoyed his smoothie while I read his devotions to him and after he was finished, I cleaned him up, changed his diaper and we played for a little while. A little while later and it was nap time.
However, nap time was more like ‘Benaiah is quiet in his crib time’ since he woke up as soon as I put him in his crib (post-nurse). I took advantage of the quiet time by preparing chili for dinner, cleaning the house, showering, and working on this blog post.
Once Benaiah was up from his ‘nap,’ we played around the house, cleaned up a few things, and ate lunch together. Normally, we eat lunch with Landon, but Landon and I had planned for our pastor to come over and visit during lunch hour. Our church’s pastors have a heart for knowing their members and routinely come to visit each family at least a couple times per year. I totally love this and looked forward to the visit as Niah and I cleaned up the house and got ready.
Landon came home just before our Pastor, Michael stopped over. We chatted with him for an hour and enjoyed the encouraging time we all shared together. Once Pastor Michael and Landon left to go their separate ways, Niah and I took advantage of the unusually warm day with a quick trip to the park.
But first, we stopped at our local coffee shop for a sparkling water. Stay hydrated friends.
Niah and I enjoyed our time at the park and he loved going down the slide with mommy. I so enjoy taking Benaiah on our little adventures, I know these are truly the memories that will last a lifetime.
Once we got home, I put the overtired boy down for his nap, which quickly turned into his ‘quiet time.’ (i.e. he woke up. #fail) As he spent his time in his crib, I worked on this blog post (again), picked up the house, started re-heating my already prepped chili (win!), and sipped on some ice coffee. (Favorite ice coffee recipe: strong black coffee + ice + almond milk.)
Benaiah’s nap didn’t last too long and shortly he was awake. Once I adjusted him back into the day, I gave him a snack and worked on dinner. Despite the unusually warm temperatures, I decided on chili for dinner. The fall traditions are happening despite this unruly weather! After Landon got home, we had dinner together and spent time catching up on one another afternoons.
Landon had men’s ministry Tuesday night, which meant Niah and I were flying solo. After his bath, we read a couple stories (multiple times through) and I put the extra tired (thanks to no naps!) boy to bed. He fell asleep easily and while he snoozed, I finished this blog post, cleaned the house, did the dishes, and even sneaked in a little mini strength training session.
Before Landon came home, I ended the night with the new, Beauty and the Beast (my first time seeing it) and some deep stretching. A perfectly relaxing way to end a busy day!
I hope you all have a fantastic rest of your Wednesday!
Questions of the Day
- What was the best part of your Tuesday?
- How do you make your chili? Thick or more ‘broth like?’
- My favorite part about fall is ________?