Where did that come from??

My plan for my long run last weekend was 11 miles. Imagine my surprise when I pulled out an unexpected half marathon PR... by 7 minutes! Every mile I hit starting with mile 9 was under a 9:40 average. I just got into a groove and decided to ride it as far as I could; my watch kept beeping every mile and I'd just look at it and laugh because I couldn't believe how fast I was running and how awesome I felt!

I have two possible explanations for this. The first is that eating half a pizza the night before a long run is the perfect carb-loading (this is kind of a joke, but I think also kind of true). The second, and more probable, explanation is that my cross training must actually be paying off and helping me run faster. I've started noticing changes in my body since I started taking cross training seriously about a month ago, so this is great stuff.

I am so freaking sick of winter, but I thought this photo was so beautiful with the snow and the reflection in the water. We'll be kayaking here in four weeks and I'm seriously hoping that it will be a lot warmer by then!

Along with cross training, I've also been really serious about eating better the past few months and I think it's making a huge difference in how I feel. I almost always feel full and satisfied without feeling bloated and stuffed. Five small meals a day seem to work out perfectly for me, which wasn't possible this past three weeks while I was doing work training at a different branch, so I'm really excited to be back to my normal routine/schedule this week. This mix of roasted green beans, sweet potatoes, and quinoa and a salad have been my lunch staples lately and I'm still not sick of it. So good!

My sister joined me for yoga yesterday morning and then we had a Panera and shopping date afterwards. I'm pretty sore today but I've actually come to love being sore after a workout. It lets you know that it's working!

The asian sesame salad was incredible, but I was disappointed with the turkey avocado BLT. First of all, I was expecting it to be warm (like a panini I guess), and secondly, I expected the avocado to be a mashed replacement for mayo but it was just slices of not-fully-ripe avocado. Next time I'll definitely just go with the full size salad.

I also realized this weekend that our local YMCA is only a 15 minute drive from my house, so now I'm seriously considering getting a membership there. They have an awesome schedule of classes and I'd love to be able to start swimming, but I'm not sure how often I could realistically get there during the week.

We're exactly three weeks out from the Scranton Half and I'm so ready and excited! I have high hopes for this race since the organization and social media presence seem to be top notch so far.