After last night’s technique session I was totally psyched to put my new lesson into practice, but after a few days of tough workouts my body was not ready. I woke up and just had one of those mornings… you know the kind– as much as you try to convince yourself to get out of bed, it just won’t happen. My body was exhausted and the pitter patter of the falling rain was so soothing and relaxing. Back to sleep I went. Biking in the rain isn’t a good idea anyway.
I spent the entire day peering out the windows checking to see if the rain had stopped. it hadn’t. it kept switching back and forth between steady drizzle and heavy downpour. as much as i tried to will Mother Nature to break out the sunshine, she refused to comply. I had an hour and a half bike ride and a 30 minute run ahead of me and the last thing i wanted was to bike in my living room. Riding on the trainer can be so monotonous. i lost the battle and after putting it off as long as i could i finally succumbed.
Today’s ride was sorta enlightening. I made a few discoveries tonight. first, i found out that i get the universal sports channel. it’s fantastic. i watched some track & field competition in some country that apparently was really hot and humid. the race itself wasn’t important, but i was watching runners. good runners. with a 30 minute warmup, i was able to pay attention to the runners’ form and technique. i was glued & time flew by. I finished my warmup and it was time for the real workout. I flipped the channel and found some mixtape music channel. 
it was perfect. i was able to really focus on my workout (which was good b/c i had to play close attention as to not miss an interval). the music helped pump me up and was less distracting than any show or movie. by the time i finished my workout i was sweating profusely and couldn’t believe how quickly it went. while i have no plans of trading the roads for my living room, it’s nice to know it’s not so bad. I tried to take a picture w/ my phone to capture how much sweat was dripping from my body… but it didn’t quite come out all that well…
I quickly traded my bike shoes for my running shoes and was out the door. the rain was still going and it felt great. i love running in the rain, it’s somehow refreshing. I put to test the new techniques. I felt awkward and funny. i found myself concentrating so completely on my form that i forgot to pay attention to my surroundings and a couple traffic lights. oops. don’t the cars know to yield to ME? … guess not. anyways, it doesn’t feel quite natural yet, but i’m hoping with time and practice i’ll learn to run correctly (and fast).
Even though I didn’t finish my workouts until almost 9 and had yet to shower, make, OR eat dinner, I’m still glad i let myself sleep in this morning. Plus, this is just proof that cooking dinner doesn’t have to be labor intensive. I had dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes, and it was darn good if i do say so myself :)
Still in my bath towel, i began cutting 2 chicken breasts into small cubes (some for dinner and the rest for lunches). I began heating my sprayed grill pan on med-high while i finished chopping. i quickly dropped the chicken in the pan making sure each piece was touching the pan. A few sprinkles of salt-free seasonings and it was well on it’s way. Having no plan for dinner, i opened the fridge and just started grabbing some ingredients. I still had some soy sauce/olive oil marinade from the mushrooms i used in the sandwich earlier, so that inspired tonight’s meal. I’m not gonna write out measurements b/c it doesn’t need to be exact– alter to your personal taste.
Simple Chicken & Kale Asian Stirfry
(for one)
• Chopped yellow onion (use desired amount)
• 1 clove smashed garlic
• Handful of sliced baby portabellos
• Several handfuls fresh kale
• Soy sauce
• Olive oil
• Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 oz cooked chicken, cubed
In a small dish combine equal parts soy sauce and olive oil (about 2 tsp each), set aside.
Heat sprayed medium saucepan to med-high heat. Drop in the onions and saute, careful not to burn. Once the onions start to brown a bit, toss in the garlic. Saute for about a minute. Add mushrooms. Remember, mushrooms emit water when they cook, so this will help keep the onions/garlic from burning. Add the kale and stir constantly. Add a splash of olive oil if you think it needs it. Continue stirring until the kale has wilted significantly and the mushrooms are cooked through. Remove from heat, pour into bowl/plate and drizzle with soy sauce mixture. Top with chicken and tomatoes. Grab some chopsticks and indulge.
The flavors compliment one another really well.
