Happy Friday! Thanks to the holiday weekend, this week went by quickly, so it’s time for another addition of Friday Thrive!
Eat
Now that the weather is creeping into the 50s, I’ve started craving my favorite spring food: tacos. My weeknight taco recipe is embarrassingly simple. I don’t like to spend a lot of time cooking on most weeknights.
For two generous servings, I caramelize 1/2 of a yellow onion, thinly sliced, in about 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil with a pinch of kosher salt. Once it’s translucent, I add in thinly sliced red bell peppers. For the chicken, I either shred some off of a roasted whole chicken (I usually cook one up at the start of each week) or cook chicken thighs or breast separately and shred it off the bone. Once the chicken is cooked and shredded, I add it into the pan with the vegetables and then season everything with a taco seasoning spice blend (chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder, oregano). Everything is served up on corn tortillas with avocado and some Stonyfield whole milk yogurt (in place of sour cream).
Drink
So I know I talked about beer in yesterday’s post, but Deschutes Brewery’s beer was so good that I’ve been craving a glass since our trip. I’m a beer snob; a finely crafted beer is the equivalent of a fancy bottle of wine for me. The Red Chair NWPA is hoppy without being overpowering.
The beer is named after the Red Chair ski lift at Mt. Bachelor, a lift that went so high up onto the top of the mountain that my initial reaction was “nope!”
Run
I haven’t trail run much, but I understand the allure of trail running more and more each time I do it. I do mean gentle trail running, though – not mountain running! I make the distinction because some forms of trail running in the PNW involve running up and down full-fledged mountains or buttes. I love road running too much to completely give up on it, but after this weekend Ryan and I really want to incorporate more trails in our running. A bonus that I never thought of: it’s much easier to run on trails in the snow and ice than roads!
Read
“You Can Never Escape Runner’s Guilt” from Outside poses an interesting question: do you feel guilty when you do run? Most of us runners suffer from guilt when we skip a run, but this article examines the flip side – feeling guilty because you went for a run.
I can see the view of running as selfish – it’s often an individual endeavor – but to me, it’s like putting on your oxygen mask first. There is a point when running can become selfish and detrimental to other parts of life, where you prioritize an unhealthy amount of miles upon the more important things in life, and that’s not good for you or for others. But overall, running promotes cardiovascular health, mental well-being, creativity, healthy weight, fitness, and so on.
Savor
How often do you have freshly cut flowers at home? I never purchase them out myself, but Ryan’s bought me flowers the past few times we’ve shopped at the market together. I love having the touch of something colorful and fresh in the house! Especially in Seattle winters, when we have more grey days than sunny days, flowers bring a bit of extra vibrancy to the day.
Speaking of things to savor, I captured a rare moment the other day where Ollie was actually sitting still. He turned the sofa into a bed and took a nap on one of the cushions. Those rare moments when he isn’t running around the apartment or attempting to herd Charlie are certainly worth savory.
[Tweet “What to run, eat, drink, read, and savor this week from @thisrunrecipes #fridaythrive #running”]
Do you get runner’s guilt?
What are you savoring this week?
Do you prefer trail or road running?
15 Responses
Those tacos sound great! We started making out own seasoning and there so much better that way. We have been trying to keep flowers in the house whenever we think of it- they definitely brighten things up! Have a great weekend!
Thank you! I like homemade season as well, or one mixed fresh at the local market’s spice area – they taste so much better than packaged. I hope you had a great weekend!
I know the runner’s guilt. I feel guilty that it takes me away from my family at times. But I know it’s good for me to get away and it’s good for them. And like you said, I need to put on my oxygen mask first before taking care of others. I’m so glad that you are finding the lure of the trails more. There’s really something to be said about slowing down and enjoying the dirt. Or snow! 🙂
It is hard when it comes to family things – that’s one of the reasons I like long runs during the week. And yeah, there is something really alluring about the trails! They are so peaceful!
So what is interesting is that I do NOT get runner’s guilt (I think I was telling you guys this on Wednesday), even when I should? It’s like I feel like it is just part of my day. No guilt there at all.
Sometimes, I might need to rethink that, lol!
I think it’s all about balance! Running is part of a day, until it takes over from other things.
I get runner’s guilt when I don’t run. I haven’t run in 2 weeks due to injury, and I feel like a fraud. I always tell people consistency is the key to improvement, when in reality I’ve had 5 actual training weeks over the past three months due to two injuries.
I love tacos! They are one of my favorite foods year round. For awhile we were going out for tacos after all of my races and it was like my favorite post-run food. Today is tortilla chip day or something, I read. I’m going to a burrito bowl/taco party tonight at a friend’s house, too.
I am definitely a road runner, not trails. Most trails here are really just dirt roads and not technical, we don’t exactly have any hills here anyway.
Recovery and avoiding injuries is also key to improvement, but I totally emphasize with that guilt of taking time off for injury. And tacos taste so good for dinner the day after a hard run!
I love when I have flowers in the house! it just makes me sad when they start to die as my roses currently are lol. savoring Ollie sitting still made me think of savoring when my son is sitting still. ha. even at this age, it’s nice when he is still or asleep but especially when he was a toddler. those were my best moments to regroup and recharge even if it only lasted 20 minutes
“Attempting to herd Charlie…” HAHA! So cute. I relate except it’s me that rarely sits still–not a dog. Running and writing are the two things that ground me. All around me whirls the chaos and if I don’t take time out each day to practice grounding, to express myself, then I struggle physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc and my family needs me healthy and grounded. And happy. I make time because it’s important to me.
Hahaha I tell Ryan that Ollie is my spirit animal – unable to sit still, a little clumsy, goes crazy if he doesn’t get his run in. Grounding is a great way to describe running. There’s something even about being connected to the ground that I find grounding – cross-training on machines, without that contact with the earth, just isn’t the same.
I used to feel runner’s guilt because I was choosing to spend time away from my husband and kids, but since I know how important it is for me and my mental health (which is also important to them), I’m doing my best to run guilt-free now. I did have to have a talk with my husband first though, where he assured me a million times older that he wants me to run and feel good and that he has fun wrangling both the baby and the toddler by himself.
The mental health benefits of running are incredible – definitely worth the time, especially on the beautiful trails! That is so sweet of your husband to watch the kids for you to be able to run!
I prefer trail running – make that mountain running – but it took 3+ years for me to start feeling even somewhat competent at it. The challenge is what makes it fun, right?
I think the challenge of the trails have a definite allure. I can see how mountain running can be fun, but the learning curve is intimidating!