Hello, Winter

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

Winter came in suddenly it seems. Yes, I know that it’s technically still fall for another few weeks, but we had snow after snow after snow this week, and the days were grey and bright, so I’m declaring it unofficially winter. Oh yeah, and we had a SNOW day!

Now that December is here, here’s a quick look at how November turned out:

  • I was back at running full time after my broken toe and haven’t looked back!
  • I’ve kept up my weight-training. I’m not moving up in weights, but still feeling strong and enjoying having something else to do when it’s cold and dark outside.
  • I ran one race – a Turkey Trot 5K, but ran it with FW so I wasn’t going for any records. He came in 2nd in his age group even with stopping to walk!
  • Total mileage: 154.86 miles, plus walking and indoor cycling (and aforementioned weightlifting)

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And now, here’s what the week looked like. Including snow!

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1,000+ miles (driving) plus running

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 14 Comments

The holiday season is officially here! And my heart and belly are so full. We had a whirlwind week – it included a lot of driving for a little family time. Do I wish we didn’t have to drive as long and lived closer to my family? Yes! Do I wish that we could’ve spent more than just a few hours with my family? Double yes! But at least we will be seeing my parents again in just a few weeks for Christmas.

Here’s what the week looked like – from workouts to hours in the car to carsick kids – here’s it all! It included 30 miles of running and 1,000+ miles of driving.

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Almost the Season

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 11 Comments

I can’t believe that it is ALMOST THE HOLIDAY SEASON! Yes, all CAPS is completely necessary — because I cannot WAIT for the holidays. It is truly my favorite time of year. I love all the cooking, baking, time with family, time off work, and the magic of the season with my kids. I don’t love how my schedule gets out of whack and workouts don’t always happen as planned, but I deal with it however I can. This week was pretty normal with the exception of our first snowfall on Thursday into Friday. This impacted my outdoor running, and I am not ready for winter to be here. Yes, I love the holidays – but not the wintry weather that we often get with it!

Despite the weather, I got in some alright workouts this week. Here’s what the week looked like:

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Cold and Dark Mornings

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 11 Comments

Well, suddenly it got COLD here in Northeast Ohio, at least in the mornings when I run. One morning it was in the 30s and I was in a headband and gloves! This is a stark difference from last week, when it was I was in shorts. I have to admit that this makes it harder for me to get outside, but once I’m outside, I warm up and am fine. We also had some cold rainy mornings, which impacted my schedule. I typically run long on Sundays but it poured most of Sunday morning, and B wasn’t home, so my schedule was a little out of whack. It also rained Thursday.  Thank goodness for a home gym and cross training!

Here’s what the week looked like – it was cooler and DARK, as I didn’t get to run in daylight at all this week:

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Out of My Routine

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 10 Comments

We had yet another beautiful week here in Northeast Ohio. We kicked off the week with 70+ degree temps and it was a perfect fall week. The mornings were brighter, the weather was gorgeous – it felt like summer (70s/80s) in the beginning of the week, the sun was shining, and the leaves were changing. I was lucky enough to get outside every day for a walk, run or hike, and take advantage of the beauty. It was a great week to be outside, and I’m glad I was able to enjoy it! I’m so glad I’m back running. I tried to get in some longer miles this week when I wasn’t weight training, and while I’m not back to where I was before the broken toe incident, I am getting there!

The only issues I had this week were with timing, and being out of my routine. Sunday and Monday and Tuesday? They were great. But Wednesday included a half day for the kids, no school Thursday and Friday and Saturday we had to be out of the house by 7:15 for my oldest’s soccer game. That being said, I’m glad I was able to stay somewhat active anyway.

Here’s what the week looked like:

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This is Halloween

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

Whoa – where did October go? I feel like I blinked and not only was summer over, but it was November. My fall running has been a blur and not as good as usual – I took all September and part of October off thanks to the broken toe. But, instead fall included more weight training and indoor cycling, coming back into running just in October. 

October was a fun month! It was fun with Halloween activities (more on that below), but also in terms of fitness. Overall, the month included:

  • 2 races – both I did with my son and one I walked when I was healing from my broken toe, but fun nonetheless!
  • Continued weight training — this time with free weights!
  • Lots of outdoor walking because FALL IS BEAUTIFUL
  • My return to running! I did about 92 miles, which is a low month for me, but considering I only started running partially through the month and have taken it easy on my toe, I’m okay with it.

Here’s what the week looked like – it was filled with lots of activity, from fitness to Halloween-themed fun, too!

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Beautiful Fall

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

This week was my perfect fall week. The weather was gorgeous – it felt like summer (70s/80s) in the beginning of the week, the sun was shining, and the leaves were changing. I was lucky enough to get outside every day for a walk, run or hike, and take advantage of the beauty. It was a great week to be outside, and I’m glad I was able to enjoy it! I’m so glad I’m back running. I tried to get in some longer miles this week when I wasn’t weight training, and while I’m not back to where I was before the broken toe incident, I am getting there!

Here’s what the week looked like:

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Fitting It All In

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

Now that I’m back running, AND still wanting to keep up my weight lifting, I’ve come to a dilemma – how do I fit it all in? AND fit it all in before 6 a.m. when my day with the kiddos starts?

This week, I tried to fit it in. My days consisted of getting up early for a short weight-lifting workout, and then I did 30-40ish minutes of cardio on weight-lifting days. I’m still getting back into running, so that included a few miles along with some cycling.  I’m trying to get back into it slowly, but can’t wait until I feel healed enough and strong enough to get in a truly long run!

Here’s what the week looked like:

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Getting Back At It

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

I’m now at week five of having a broken toe, and I’m starting to get back out there to run. I’m starting slow and short, since my toe still doesn’t feel 100% normal, but I’m not sure how it’s supposed to feel, so maybe not normal is normal?

Sunday started with a local 5K I was planning on doing with FW. I had told him that with my broken toe I would take off my boot and we’d walk it together, maybe run a little bit. But when I got to the starting line, I was ready to run! FW however didn’t want to run, so we mostly walked, which was probably a good idea for my healing. But after this race and the taking off of the boot, I was dying to try to get in a run this week and see how I felt. Here’s what the week looked like:

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White Chocolate Pumpkin Pretzels

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I love, love, LOVE white chocolate pretzels. My mom’s cousin (my Aunt Alice) used to make them growing up and it was a treat to get a tin of those during the holidays. Hers weren’t only delicious, but they looked great, too! She made chocolate-covered pretzels also, and while I love those, the white chocolate are my absolute favorite.

So when I found myself in Michaels with my daughter a few weeks ago and I sporadically picked up some orange candy melts, I knew I had to make some festive Halloween pretzels. This turned into a fun kid-friendly activity that I enjoyed with LM! Since she broke her arm, we’ve found ourselves with a few free evenings that we would have usually been at soccer practice, cross-country, or another activity – so on of those evenings, we opted for this activity! They didn’t turn out as professional-looking as I would’ve liked, but when a 6-year-old and I bake, it’s mostly about having fun (and enjoying the fruits of our labor). 

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White Chocolate Pumpkin Pretzels

Here’s what you need

Here’s what you do:

  1. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
  2. Melt chocolate according to directions. I placed mine in a glass Pyrex and melted it in the microwave on 50% power for 1 minute, then stirred it and melted it again for another 1-2 minutes and stirred again. Do not overheat or the chocolate may seize.  
  3. When chocolate is melted, dip each pretzel into the chocolate, tapping the edge of the bowl to release the extra chocolate.
  4. When pretzel is fully covered, lay it down on the foil and then place an M&M at the top of the pretzel so that it looks like the stem of a pumpkin. Repeat until you run out of chocolate.  Mine made about 30 pretzels, but we ate a few along the way 🙂
  5. Let cool/dry completely. I put mine in the fridge to speed up the process.

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Some questions for you:

  • Do you like chocolate covered pretzels?
  • What would you have made with a surplus of orange melting chocolate?