Brand New Hoosier: 9 miles? really?

Sunday I was supposed to run 9 miles according to my own @$$-kicking mini-marathon schedule. I took a nap instead.

Today it rained/monsooned all day and I dearly wanted to take a nap instead. Since I had told so many people that I was going to run 9 miles on my day off of work (yay post tax-season "holiday") I had to do it.

I started off the day how any good cpa candidate should...lotsa coffee and some corporate tax lectures. Then I went out to lunch with my mom to Kelties. She had a Groupon that expired tomorrow, so it was "use it or lose it day." I really wanted to take some food pics b/c the presentation was gorgeous, but I just don't have big enough blogger balls yet (and only had a camera phone). We shared an appetizer of baked brie, fruit, and bread crisps. Mom got a steak and blue cheese salad and I had the "beggars purse" which was puff pastry covering a delish mixture of cheese and chicken on top of raspberry jam. I was a little too full afterwards! I came home and did a bit more studying to let the food settle and then headed to the gym.

Today's trip to the gym just reconfirmed my hatred for treadmills. I can handle 3 miles, but anything after that on the treadmill and it's extremely painful to make myself keep going. I finished the first 4.5 miles in 53 minutes and the second 4.5 miles in 58 minutes. I had to divide it up b/c the treadmills had a 60 minute max. I was fine for the first 2.75ish miles, and then I had to take a walk break for 1/4 of a mile. I ran a couple miles, walked .10 miles, and kept that up until I was done. I saw the end of Oprah, then some news, the end of Law & Order, and most of a second episode of Law & Order. An hour and 51 minutes is a flippin long time!

...and, my face is still flushed from the run!

Here is a salad I finally had time to create for Monday's lunch at work:

Featured star of the lunch: Tangerine Balsamic Vinegarette
Baby greens
Red onion
Apple
Avocado
Bleu cheese
Walnuts
MorningStar "Chicken" strips

It was so good and kept me full until the tax "party" later that night. The tangerine balsamic vinegarette is made with a pour of the amazing tangerine balsamic, a pour of chipotle olive oil, cracked pepper, and a squirt of dijon mustard. O M G. I wanted to lick the bowl. Not appropriate at work :(

I made a similar salad for tomorrow's lunch, but I've got some tangerines instead of the avocado, bleu cheese and apple. I've got greek yogurt, ginger granola and a banana for a post-bootcamp bfast and I'm also packing some fake pb and an apple for a mid-afternoon snack. I'd say a pretty balanced work-day of food.

I can't explain how nice it is to eat real food during the day instead of having frozen meals for 2, sometimes 3 meals a day!

Welp, time for me to get to bed so I can face the wrath of not going to bootcamp for an eternity, if I can even walk when I wake up!

*Posting will be sparse until I take my next exam on Tuesday. Wish me luck!