I went for a run today. On my training schedule it read “45 minute tempo run.” I have a confession: I’m not only nervous about my upcoming half marathon, but recently I’ve been also getting nervous about my training runs. I feel like I should be able to do them perfectly, or else I’m going to miserably fail on race day (I don’t even know what “fail” means in this case… I guess that I’ll have the urge to walk the entire time and give in). So as I started doing my warm up walk, I started panicking a little bit. Will I be able to do it? What’s a tempo run really like outside (I usually do them on the treadmill for more precision)? All these negative thoughts about how there is no way this tempo run was happening today were going through my head. So instead of giving up, I changed gears. I told myself to just run for 45 minutes and not worry about pace. If I want to run super slow, it’s fine. As long as I’m running, that’s already a good thing I’m doing for my body… and for my half marathon training. Guess what? Once I got going, I totally got into it. I had my music on the highest volume, blasting Lady Gaga and Britney, and I ran… I ran faster than I’ve run in months! In 45 minutes I completed 5.24 miles – that’s 8:34 minute miles! I felt fantastic!! Was it a tempo run after all? Probably not. Was it a great run? Yes! So I think my message here is that you need to be flexible, and don’t psych yourself out. When I first started running, I hated it. I did it because I thought it would help me lose weight faster, so when I saw a run on my schedule, I’d often find an excuse and skip the gym that day. I bet if I went to a kickboxing class (or anything else) that day instead, the pounds would have come off faster. Oh well. You live, you learn

TODAY’S EATS:

Breakfast: banana oats topped with banana, raisins and walnuts + coffee

It’s been too long since I’ve had oats (and bananas for that matter). This breakfast really hit the spot!

Mid-morning snacks: 1/2 apple-walnut raisin bar from co-worker’s fiance (whom I had dinner with that night so I wanted to taste her cake to give feedback – that’s my excuse ) + tea

This cake tasted so moist and buttery. I was shocked to find out that she used this recipe was from Cooking Light and that there was absolutely no oil or butter. Seriously shocking!

+ I made a dent in my bar collection and tried the Heart Thrive apricot bar:

Wow, this bar was absolutely fabulous. First of all, who doesn’t love a heart shaped bar?! I was half-way sold just by the shape! Secondly, I really love dried apricots so again, I had high hopes for this guy – and it delivered! It was almost like a dense cookie. Very “meaty” – doughy, oaty (I know that’s not a real word ) with subtle dried fruit flavors. I have another one in the stash, and am already looking forward to it. It would be great just as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea. I really think they can market these as heart healthy cookies!

Lunch: leftover corn tortilla casserole (not as good the next day )

Mid-afternoon snack: local peach

Dinner was a bit of a special treat. I went out with my friend Katie (she’s also my co-worker’s fiance and baker of the above pictured apple cake ), whom I haven’t seen in months. We always end up at a great little restaurant and end up chatting the night away. This time we decided to go to Stephi’s on Tremont, a sister restaurant to a more upscale Stephanie’s on Newbury street. I started with a glass of The Drunken Goose sangiovese blend, which later turned into 2 glasses

… and had a little slice of this incredible garlic bread. Wow, this was bread perfection! Katie and I each took a little slice and moved this loaf to the other side of the table as to not tempt ourselves with it. Good stuff!

For my entree I ordered the Asian yellowfin tuna salad - seared sashimi grade tuna with chilled udon noodles, charred hot cherry peppers, shredded carrots, cabbage and cucumbers, bean sprouts, spicy peanuts, toasted coconut and sweet chili dressing.

This was another winner! The tuna really was of highest grade, and melted in my mouth. I got the dressings on the side, and actually ended up using the balsamic vinaigrette I asked for, which I think was a good move. I tasted the other dressings and they were all intensely sweet. I wanted to taste my food, not just sugar! I also loved the crunch of the peanuts and the freshness of the entire dish. Yum

Stephi’s has a huge salad selection, so I think it’s a great place to have lunch or dinner with a friend without overdoing it, calorie wise. They also have some incredible sounding comfort food, for a more indulgent night with the hubs. The place has been on my must-go-to list since it opened, and I’m glad I finally tried it. We’ll be back there soon, for sure!

Great great day. How was yours? Now tell me – do you have a workout schedule you try to stick to? How flexible are you with it? Do you ever get nervous about your workouts (or training runs) like I do? Any tips and tricks to keep going, instead of psyching yourself out? I want to hear from you!!

Have a fabulous day!