May Foodie Penpal

I first participated as a Foodie Penpal back in November. It was such a fun idea and I was so excited when my items arrived. I wasn't blogging at the time so I never posted about my experience. In January, with all the excitement leading up to the WDW Marathon I completely forgot to enter myself again until this month.

What is extra fun about the Foodie Penpal matches is that you are matched with two different people, one to send goodies to and one to receive from.  Turns out both my matches this month were MIA and I ended up getting re-matched a few days after original matches were posted.

I would be receiving my package to Abby and she blogs at Life is Wonderific. I shared with Abby I do not like peanut butter or spicy foods, and some of my current favorites are coffee, dark chocolate and green smoothies. I was excited when her package arrived! 

Abby selected a cute card and wrote a simple note inside. I think my favorite item has to be the chocolate coffee, even though I haven't tried it yet! The Odwalla bar was delicious, I had not stumbled upon that bar yet and will be searching for it in the future. The Cookie Dough Luna Bar is one of my favorites (I actually have a box of them in my pantry right now). Lastly, the Cadbury Royal Dark Chocolate Bar is being saved for an extra rough day, as I know it will be delicious.

I sent my package to Jenna in Southern California and she blogs at Momma Told Me. After reading her likes and dislikes, and staying within the $15 spending limit I decided to send her locally made Williamson Bros BBQ Sauce and Jalapeno Cornbread Mix I was able to pick up during our weekend in Pigeon Forge. I also included two Pure Bliss Energy Bars, they are made locally here in Marietta and they are divine!

If you would like to read more about becoming a Foodie Pen Pal, you can do so at The Lean Green Bean. In addition to the spending limit, you'll find dates listed on when you can join, when you'll need to email your penpal and when you'll need to ship your package. You do not have to have a blog to participate either! Once you know all the specifics, you can sign-up HERE. 

QUESTIONS:
-Have you ever participated as a Foodie Penpal?
-What is one item you like to send or would send if you were to participate?

Training Recap: May Week 3

What an exhausting week...and I barely did any training!

Monday: 3 Miles + Strides 

I much as I knew I needed to run, I didn't.  After a crazy/mostly good weekend out of town, nothing went as I originally planned and I was bummed. Pity Party for 1 please!

Tuesday: 5 Miles

I was still in a funk but last minute changed my clothes and headed to the gym. I only had an hour before childcare ended at noon so I am pleased with the 4mi I ran, leaving myself adequate time to cool down and stretch. While I had a good run (10:43mm pace), I was disappointed that my childcare time was expiring because I wanted to keep running. 

Abigail had a swim lesson and dance class in the afternoon, our usual Tuesday activities. After dance we headed to a local Tuesday Farmer's Market where I picked up some kale and spinach (pretty disappointed with the overall selection of this market). Then we met up with friends for Food Truck Tuesday! More friends were here tonight, so Abigail had so much fun. How I didn't get one picture from the entire day is beyond me!

Wednesday: XT or Rest
Matt and I were startled out of bed when Abigail announced from our bedroom door that she threw up. What a wake up call! I spent my day rationing fluids and food. Abigail is only 4yo so she wasn't able to comprehend why she couldn't drink or eat as much as she wanted. It was exhausting for both of us! Even though Abigail was feeling better in the afternoon, she took a nice long afternoon nap which is very unusual! 

I had a 6pm Chiropractor appointment, so luckily Matt was able to get home in time to take over before I had to leave. I picked up a Starbucks on the way so I could unwind the long day. The visits always start with 15-20 minutes in a massage chair. I love this chair; it even has a calf muscle massage option! I got cracked in all the right spots and was able to go home fairly refreshed. We were all thankful Abigail's afternoon/evening was back to normal.

Thursday: 3-5 Miles
Abigail & I took the morning easy, not wanting to overdo it too quickly. Since she seemed to be back to normal, had hadn't puked in over 24hrs we decided to venture to her swim lesson (chlorine kills everything, right?). Her appetite was back and had a good class so I took her to gymnastics a few hours later. Again, she was her normal self again. So weird!

I did get to Gold's to run a bit in the evening. I managed a 5K in 34 minutes (10:55mm pace) but was tired. I stopped by Publix on my way home and stocked up on my favorite chocolate, Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate. Yes, it has been one of those weeks! I finished my day with season finales of Grey's Anatomy & Scandal...wow!

Friday: 3 Miles or XT (Optional Bail Card)
The sun finally came out enough for me to get out Abigail's little princess pool and let her play outdoors with water. Brewer loved it just as much, if not more, than Abigail. The colder weather lingering throughout May has really been extra strange for me. I'm still a FLgrl at heart and it is NOT supposed to be cold in May. I sat outside and got some much needed Vitamin D while the kiddos played. I look forward to more of these moments throughout the summer!

Another exciting piece of Friday? My Foodie Penpal package arrived! I'll be posting all about what I received on May 31st, so keep an eye out.

Saturday: LR: 8 Miles
We attended an early afternoon birthday party before Matt's parents arrived for the night. Abigail wanted her Nana & Papa to go bowling! So we enjoyed a full day socializing and playing.

Sunday: Rest
I woke up early, race morning style, and felt energized. I checked the weather, still a chance for rain. I had told Brandi I would join her at the Freight Train 5K, and she was hoping to PR again like she did on the course last year. About 15mins before the 7:30am race start, it started to POUR. Luckily there were some tailgate tents from different vendors and the majority of the racers were able to get out of the downpour. The race is the first of four in The Locotamotive Series so the race would proceed rain or shine.

The race start was delayed but when the rain let up a bit we were sent on our way, my first experience running in the rain. Unfortunately, the jacket I bought last month (in case of rain for Auburn's Finish on the 50) is not waterproof like I thought! I wasn't drenched but I wasn't dry either. My new InknBurn Dragonfly shorts were FABULOUS! The best part of this morning? I managed a new PR! Even in the rain!

QUESTIONS:
-Do you ever have weeks that seem completely exhausting? How do you recover?
-If you have a favorite chocolate splurge, I'd love to know, please share!