I came down with a nasty cold last week–not just your typical stuffy nose, but a fever, headache, body/back ache, sinus congestion, horrible hacking cough, and stuffy nose. I wasn’t even fully over my last cold when I started feeling sick a week ago. I was out of commission from Friday – Sunday, laying in bed most of the day, no running, and not caring about how messy the house was.
Luckily I am on the mend now, although I woke up last night with a coughing fit and it took nearly three hours for me to fall back to sleep. Ugh! BUT I did run TWO miles today with no hip flexor “pain”/awareness. (I haven’t had any true “pain” for the last few weeks, but I can still feel it from time to time when I run.)
I am continuing to do a run/walk as I recover from this injury. I am running very, very easy (for me) at a 9 minute mile pace, which is about one minute slower than my usual easy, training pace. I ran for 4 minutes and then walked for about one minute, alternating until I reached two miles. It was such a confidence booster, and I hope things continue to progress forward.
Fall is in full swing here. Last year we had had snow by this time (See this post where it snowed on September 30!), but so far we’re in the clear yet and we haven’t had any snow, and I am a-okay with that! So we are enjoying everything fall: fall walks, two kinds of pumpkin bread, boots, down jackets, sweaters, etc. I made a huge pot of Craig’s Chili yesterday with cornbread, and I have more soups planned for next week. My Nuri ArcTeryx Coat is also seeing a lot of use already as it is a perfect down coat for the fall.
I have yet to buy a PSL from Starbucks (and I don’t think I will), I haven’t bought any pumpkin-flavor foods of any kind, nor have we been to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard, which I guess kind of makes me a little anti-fall, but I am loving the following items! I know already posted of my Fall Favorites last month, but I have more I want to share with you!
Bath & Body Works Autumn Candle
Now that we have darkness (versus nearly endless daylight during the summer), I love lighting candles in the evening and sometimes even in the morning as the sun doesn’t rise until after 8 a.m.!! I am a sucker for the fall scented candles at Bath & Body Works, and after smelling about twenty of them, this one was the winner.
Zoya ‘Zanna’ Nail Polish
I love this Zoya ‘Zanna’ Nail Polish. It is the perfect purple color for fall, and I find myself wearing it often. Zoya is a natural, vegan nail polish (not really sure how nail polish can be natural??), but I do think it stays on better than a lot of other brands I’ve tried (including Essie and OPI).
Gold Jewelry
I used to be all about the silver jewelry, but lately I have been loving gold, and I especially love it during the fall. I picked up this necklace from H&M, and the earrings are from Primp Boutique in Minnesota.
Athleta Stripes Chaturanga Capri
I was serious lusting over these Athleta Stripes Chaturanga Capris when I saw my coworker and then one of my athletes wearing them. I quickly scoured the internet for the cheapest pair and found a pair that was brand new without tags on Poshmark. They fit very similar to my Lululemon Wunder Unders with a wide waistband, inside pocket, pant legs that actually stay down, but I don’t know how they would be for running.
Run Fast Eat Slow
I am not one to buy cookbooks. I can find plenty of free recipes online and on blogs, but when I took a quick glance through my friend’s Run Fast East Slow cookbook by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky , I knew I would be buying my own copy. I have made several of the recipes already including: Can’t Beet Me Smoothie, Superhero Muffins, Kale-Radicchio Salad with Farro, and Coconut-Kale Smoothie.
Tazo ‘Zen’ Green Tea
When I first moved to Alaska nine years ago (How has it been nine years already??), I started drinking tea because I was always cold. I’ve never acclimated to the cold here in Alaska (even though everyone said I would), so I have to drink my hot tea quite regularly, especially now that the temperatures have been in the 30s and low 40s. Wah! I am pretty basic when it comes to tea, so I really just like a good green tea like this Tazo ‘Zen’ Green Tea.
Daniel’s Running Formula
The obviously is not a ‘fall favorite,’ but I have been reading Daniels’ Running Formula book to help with my coaching knowledge and have picked up several good tidbits of information.
Love the pants of course, and the gold jewelry. I’m seriously considering that cook book as well, although it does feel silly to spend on a cookbook. But some fresh food inspiration would be really helpful!
Those pants are awesome… I may need a pair!
For the coughing fits, use an inhaler if you have one. I had the flu then bronchitis (It. Was. Awful.) earlier this year and I could not stop coughing and having coughing fits. I thought it was just the bronchitis but I was actually having acute asthma attacks once I finally went to the doctor about it.