Yesterday I met Ashley in Sewickley for a run. I had 12 miles planned, but Ashley just recovered from a chest cold and I the stomach flu, and I also forgot my Garmin, so we decided to run for an hour and a half. We knew we’d be under 12 miles, but still would log a decent distance.

What we didn’t know what that we’d also have quite an interesting run.

First of all, Ashley planned to take us on a route that she had rode on her bike once. What she forgot was that it was an extremely winding road with terrible visibility. I’m usually up for adventure, so running on the yellow line around curves was actually kind of fun—but I don’t recommend it.

Then we needed to make a potty stop. And because it was freezing out, the idea of trudging through the snow to a hidden grouping of trees wasn’t our first choice—not that pooping outside ever is. Thankfully (maybe?), we stumbled along this:

That’s a bathroom. In the middle of a random park. In the dead of winter. Ashley commented that it looked straight out of a horror story, but she braved it any way. And toilet paper? Nope. I think she found an old, shady pack of baby wipes though. I’ll check on her later to see how she’s feeling. But she did survive (that is her walking out of the bathroom in the picture).

A little bit down the road we started to hear really loud music, and when we rounded one turn, we saw something that I can only describe as a back woods BLOCK PARTY in someone’s front yard. There were about a dozen people out with lawn chairs, a bonfire, grilling food and blasting the Rolling Stones.

I made a comment about how crazy they were, but quickly realized that we are the two that were lightly dressed, running lots of miles on unsafe back roads in freezing temperatures. Hmm… second thought about who the crazy ones are.

Our next adventure came in the form of a celebrity sighting…well, we think.

Sidney Crosby.

That’s right. Driving around Sewickley. Ashley and I were just scheming on taking some serious fall in front of Lemieux’s house and asking for help whenever we saw Crosby’s car (Ashley’s seen him in it before) a block down the road. Obviously we picked up our pace hoping to put our plan into play in front of his car. But we were too slow.

Oh well. We comforted ourselves by taking our route to check out the hours on the Fro Yo place (that I just discovered) so we can have a girl-date there. And after the run I made a pit stop for me and Dave, which we ate during the NHL All Star game.

 
I said a little prayer of thanks for the local Fro Yo store and the concussion that kept Crosby in Sewickley instead of at the All-Star game in Raleigh.

A long run, Sidney Crosby and Fro Yo?!

Best. Run. Ever.

Have you ever have a celebrity sighting on your run or workout? Ever make a freezing cold bathroom stop?

As I was packing my lunch I noticed a strange infinity for the miniature:

That would be baby spinach, baby carrots and Persian cucumbers.

And about five minutes later I found myself munching more miniature ingenuity.

So I thought, is there any thing “mini” that I don’t like?

Dogs. I don’t like mini dogs.

I prefer my dogs to be oversized and cowardly.

I could write a novel on all of the reasons I love the Strip District. Every time I’m there, there’s something new to discover (and buy). It’s dirty, it’s crowded, it’s loud, and it’s a perfect Saturday stop. And Prestogeorge would make any coffee or tea drinker coming back for more. I happen to be both. And I spent wayyyy too much money in that store yesterday. But that’s for a different post…

Being that my life is dictated by my sweet tooth, and also that I was with 2 guys, yesterday’s trip was guided by our stomachs. I ate so much chocolate and it was heavenly.

Perhaps my favorite place to stop for junk is Mon Aimee Chocolat…for chocolate covered gummy bears. You haven’t lived until you’ve had these little nuggets of delight. I bought a half pound and I regret to inform you that the only evidence that I did is the transaction on my online bank account. Whoops.

In my defense, Dave and his college roommate helped out. But still probably not the wisest dietary choice from someone recovering from a stomach bug. Whoops again.

Oh, and while I was there I caved and bought a steamy hot {paper} mug of Mexican hot chocolate. I love the sweet and spiciness of it, but to be honest it was a little too thick and chocolate-y for me. Weird? Yes. But I drank it anyway. Annnnd…woops, I did it again.

Our final junk-stop was at Peace, Love and Little Donuts on Smallman Street. What may surprise you (more than the hot chocolate being too chocolate-y for me) is that I don’t really like donuts. Every single time I have been to the Strip I have walked past this shop without a second glance, but Dave and Phil strong armed me into going on our way back to the car.

I took a bite of one and it was good, but I was happy that they were too busy eating the donuts to bother my chocolate covered gummy bears.

But that right there? That’s a strawberry shortcake donut. I know, it kind of make me drool too.

Other notable junk food mentions: The Pittsburgh Popcorn Company and The Enrico Biscotti Company. There’s also a Fudgie Wudgie, but that’s a chain and chains are no fun.

Oh, and there really are no naked people in the Strip. It’s a common misconception. But that’s not to say that there never are, nor never have been naked people there. Although I’m sure those people faced charges of indecent exposure.

Ok… favorite junk food stop near you??? And what is your favorite sweet tooth indulgence?

I’ve got a long run in a couple of hours, so fill my head with visions of sugar plums and chocolate covered goodness to get me through 12 miles!

Thank you all for your well wishes yesterday! I’m feeling much better today

I was hit with some kind of stomach bug, but after the nap to end-all-naps yesterday, I actually woke up with an appetite. I think that was the first time I had a normal appetite since Wednesday.  YAY FOOD!

Despite feeling good, I’ve still moved my run to tomorrow so I still have an extra day to recuperate. Flexibility is key in training schedules. I have an outline of a schedule that I follow, but I designed specifically to allow for illness, busyness, or plain-old training burnout. And we all know I work best with “guidelines” not “rules”.

Today I am hoping for a little jaunt to the Strip District, which will probably be IN-SANE with all of the Superbowl hype. There’s one store that plays the Steelers’ Fight song throughout the entire season—maybe all year round! I finally caved and bought a Polamalu jersey and I have to pick it up from a friend…so while I’m in the Strip, I’ll be more interested in Pens’ paraphernalia than Steelers’. Ohhh…and I think a stop at Trader Joe’s will be necessary.

And speaking of sports, sometimes I step back in amazement as to how David has influenced me in our marriage. I drink beer, I love hockey, and now I watch ESPN all the time. (although I’m sure David wonders the same things about his eating habits now…)

Yesterday ESPN is all that I had on throughout the day. SportsCenter does a “Top Ten” list of the top ten plays from the day before, but apparently on Fridays it is “The Worst of the Worst.” I laughed SO HARD at these plays. I highly recommend tuning into SportsCenter on Fridays for a good laugh. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling better—laughter is the best medicine!

So I’ll leave you with my favorites in case you’re also sick or just want a hearty chuckle:

If you’re in a relationship, what are ways that you have influenced your significant other or been influenced?

I’ve definitely influenced Dave in his eating habits.

He’s definitely made me, I hate to say it, more like “one of the guys.” I was raised with boys and always got along better with guys and loved sports, but now it’s been taken to a whole new level

I’ve been in bed since 7 pm last night.

{What are the chances I’ll be running 12 miles tomorrow?}