Friday Thrive

Happy Friday! 

I really enjoyed introducing the Friday Thrive last week, so I will be making this a regular feature on the blog. I like sharing the little things that I enjoyed or found interesting from throughout the week! It’s like having a cup of coffee or a beer together on Friday, except virtually. 

Watch:

Jim Gaffigan’s Cinco on Netflix is hilarious. Ryan and I were both laughing so hard that we were crying, especially with the jokes about spring in the Midwest (it really is only one day!) and how people dress in the Pacific Northwest. This quip describes us and pretty much everyone else in Seattle:

“The entire Pacific Northwest, everyone’s dress like there could be an impromptu hike at a moment’s notice. ‘Well, I’m going for a coffee, but you never know when a hike might break out.'” 

Friday Thrive February 17

That is, in fact, the PNW life. I’m almost never not wearing Prana, Patagonia, Saucony, or something that was purchased at Backcountry or REI. The coffee part is true as well. 

Eat:

A few weeks ago, Ryan and I wanted chocolate chip cookies but didn’t want to have dozens of cookies around or put the effort into baking a full batch. A quick Google search led me to this recipe for single serve chocolate chip cookies, and I’ve made these numerous times since. I am not sure if discovering this recipe was good, because we don’t have to make a full batch of cookies if we want one and be tempted to eat several at once, or bad, because it’s so easy to make two large chocolate chip cookies on a whim.

Friday Thrive February 17

These cookies taste the best if you take the time to let the egg and butter come to room temperature before baking the cookie. I prefer to use dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chips and then serve these cookies hot out of the oven. 

Run:

One of my latest articles for Runkeeper discusses how cross-training can improve your running. To be technical, cross-training here refers not to strength training or yoga (those are supplemental/ancillary workouts) but aerobic workouts that serve the same purpose as running. Swimming, cycling/spinning, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, hiking, and the elliptical are all examples of cross-training workouts for runners.  

Cross-training can improve your aerobic capacity, which in turn improves your endurance and lays the foundation for more speed training, while reducing risk of running-related injury. Most cross-training workouts are low-impact and utilize different muscles than running, so your joints get a break and you strength other muscles. 

Friday Thrive February 17

Do you cross-train or just run? I noticed a significant improvement in my running when we moved to Seattle and took up hiking. Snowshoeing is my current favorite form of cross-training, especially on the trails at the nearby ski resort’s Nordic center. 

Read: 

Allie from Vita Train 4 Life wrote this fascinating article for Women’s Running Magazine: Can The Timing of Eating Carbs Actually Help Ward Off Colds?” It’s a must-read if you are a runner trying to avoid getting sick during marathon or half marathon training. Post-run recovery doesn’t just help you improve as a runner and avoid soreness; how well you recover after a hard workout or long run impacts your immune system. 

The article that Burdick cites, a piece from the New York Times, also concludes that eating carbs during strenuous exercise (primarily long runs or longer speed workouts) can actually boost immune function as well. Forgoing carbohydrates during long runs can train you to avoid hitting the wall during the race, but they are best done once or twice per month and when your immune system isn’t suppressed due to other factors. 

Travel:

This weekend, Ryan and I are heading off to Bend, OR! Bend is a hub of running and outdoor sports right now and Mt. Bachelor is supposed to have amazing snowboarding and snowshoeing. Plus, one of favorite breweries, Deschutes, is located in Bend. Be sure to follow on Instagram for our running and snow sport adventures! I will also be sharing our trip as I take over Rainier Fruit’s Instagram on Tuesday, February 21. 

And finally, here’s a photo of Charlie to start off your weekend with a dose of cuteness. (Someday Ollie will sit still for a non-blurry photo. Someday.)

Friday Thrive February 17

[Tweet “Watch, eat, run, read, travel with @thisrunrecipes Friday Thrive! #inbend #running #runkeeper #runwithrainier”]

What are you watching, eating, running, or reading this week?
Where’s your next vacation taking you?
What are your plans for the holiday weekend?

Sign Up for My Newsletter for More Running Tips

* indicates required

Share this post

18 Responses

  1. I really wish you did not share that single serving chocolate chip cookie…Off to get the recipe now! 🙂 Have a blast in Bend. I’ve only been once but I need to head back again soon. So much has changed since I was there 9 years ago. It’s such a cool town!

  2. Look at that little puggle snout. So cute and smooooshed. And holy crap those cookies. Good LAWD. Now excuse me while I go carb.
    Have an amazing time in Bend! Take all the pictures!

  3. You should really make the Friday Thrive into some sort of linkup. Or do a Thursday Thrive if you don’t want to conflict with the Friday linkups. I like the idea of a random life post each week!

    I’ve been watching lots of Netflix while I cross train. Fuller House and Switched at Birth… mindless shows! I’ve been eating way too much and not running because I’m hurt, and I hope the excess weight will come off when I start training again. It’s only been a week but I’m so sick of the machines already!

    To be honest, I forgot it was a holiday weekend! We don’t get the day off here! My next vacation is Myrtle Beach for the Half Marathon that I’m probably not running, but I do plan to attend and support my friends :).

    1. That’s a good idea – thank you! I will have to think about doing a link up! I’m sorry to hear that you can’t run – if it’s any help, injury weight is easy off. I totally understand on being sick of the machines!
      It’s curious to me how this holiday seems more popular in some parts of the country. It’s a big ski weekend out here because most people are off, but then I don’t remember having the day off in college or grad school in the Midwest.

  4. Oh yeah, you guys have a holiday on Monday! Andrew and I signed up for a half marathon at the beginning of April! In ARIZONA! And we’re going down there alone!!!!! Woohooo! Just for 3 nights, and his parents are going to watch Callum. I can’t WAIT!

    1. How exciting about Arizona!! Especially that it will be just the two of you! It’s a break when we travel without the dogs, so I imagine it’s even more exciting and relaxing to be without children!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *