It took all my strength to not run today, as the weather was gorgeous, once again. But, like I’ve mentioned before, part of my exercise philosophy includes not running every day. And it had been a while since I last took a rest day. So back to beddie byes it was for me. Well, not really; I can’t seem to sleep past the sun. My body says, “Sunshine! Time to wake up!” Therefore, I ambled down to the kitchen, and set my mind to making some breakfast.
I haven’t had this in over a month: oatmeal using the “Melted Banana Trick.
It’s a recycled picture, but today’s looked basically the same, maybe sans a few of the banana slices on top. After brekkie, I did some weight-lifting (which I still haven’t figured out how to enjoy), then it was off to class. To take advantage of the weather, I left a little early and brought a snack. But the snack wasn’t for me: Here come the duckies!
These guys sure know how to chow down. Going to the pond and feeding the ducks is a silly activity that I really enjoy. In fact, one of my two earliest memories is at a duck pond. I was two or three… and I ended up with duck poop all over me! (My other earliest memory is of my dog eating the head off a Barbie doll. So, again, not too pleasant. I had a happy childhood, I swear!)
What is your earliest memory? Hopefully it’s nicer than mine!.
Lauren @ WWoB says
Earliest memory = being really upset and crying that a tree was cut down when I was about 3!
Its weird though, I am not a super tree hugger these days…
Christina says
This is gruesome, but I think my earliest memory is cutting off my fingertip when I was four. Then the anesthesiologist giving me the anesthetic *up my nose* (OW). Then crying for my mommy and daddy when I came out of surgery. Though hopefully you understand why that’s all so memorable…
Leslie says
My first memory was at the hospital too! I fell from my high chair and needed stitches and LOL I remember crying for my mom and dad! But then they treated me to an ice cream cone, but sadly I only remember the bad part! What’s wrong with me? 😕
Erika @ Health and Happiness in LA says
I cut off my fingertip, too! Except I was 9.
Sarahishealthy says
I love the days when you wake up and realize, Hey, I don’t have to exercise today. It’s my rest day! Then you can roll over and go back to sleep, without guilt. Today I’m dragging myself to the gym though. Maybe tomorrow I’ll treat myself to a rest day :).
VEGirl says
I LOVE feeding ducks 🙂 :). You just gave me my idea for the morning!
Question: I have lately been biking a TON, and I never know how often I’m supposed to take “rest days”. Am I not supposed to go ANYWHERE on those days, or just no 20 mile rides? How often do you try to take rest days?
Earliest memory? Lets see, this was probably when I was 6 but I remember cooking my first ever soup 🙂 And all by myself. It was basically boiled water with big chunks of vegetables in it (no salt or flavors!). My parents said they loved it though 🙂
VEGirl
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Hey miss VeGirl,
I dunno… I think it depends on the individual person. As long as you don’t feel sore or burned out, I think it’s ok to bike every day. Biking isn’t as hard o your joints as running. I just personally don’t think it’d be good for me, physically or mentally, to run 8-10 miles every single day. But I do ride my bike (to close places like the grocery store), walk, etc. on my days off from running. I wrote more about how many rest days I take and all that on the linked post (under “exercise philosophy”). Usually, I take around 2 days per week off from running.
VEGirl says
Hey thanks! Yeah, I love biking BECAUSE it doesn’t put all that stress on my joints. I have flat feet (no arch) and it affects my whole legs and causes a lot of pain and discomfort if I don’t wear the shoe inserts 🙁
Melissa says
You should totally consider racing. If your avg. weekly mileage is 40-50 (which is a LOT) you’ve got the stuff to do distance. At the peak of my marathon training I was doing 38-40 a week. Average was more like 33-35. So, your everyday mileage exceeds what they have beginning marathoners doing! No wonder you have to eat so much. Hah.
Maybe I’ll try upping my mileage after the marathon this month (and the 10k this week and the halloween half, oh, and the Dec marathon in FL … ) when I’m back into just running miles to keep my fitness/cardio health up and keep weight off. I’m getting a dreadmill for the MN winters and can see doing 8-10 miles 5x a week on that guy. Still – wow, that’s a lot of miles. Any reason why you do so many a week? Is it just that you run X minutes and you’re fast so you clock miles fast? I’m usually running a 9-10 min/mile pace so my “go run for an hour” runs only give me about 6 miles each.
When I was averaging 33 miles a week and training to keep my weight steady at 125, I was told I needed to eat 2300 calories a day. Since you want to gain, if possible, and run a lot more you must be closer to 3500+ Lucky girl. 😉 I totally run so I can eat. Hah.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I would lik to do a race someday… but right now I just don’t feel like the competitiveness. I have an annoyingly competitive spirit that makes me feel badly if I lose/don’t do as well as others. So if I ran a race and didn’t do as well as I’d hoped, I’d totally lose the runner’s high, which is the reason I run.
As for the 2nd part of your q, I don’t count miles at all; I actually don’t even know how far I go. Every now and then I’ll put a route into mapmyrun just out of curiosity, but I don’t have a garmin or anything. It’s all loosey goosey :).
Melissa says
I’m so type A about my running. I have a very hard time not paying attention to my mileage! Possible due to all the racing I’ve been doing. The training schedule for the marathon was pretty specific – there were long runs where you had to hit certain mileages, etc.
I’m actually not super competitive. I like to race because there is nothing that feels like running in a pack of people. The comaraderie and the energy… wow. I just love it! The folks cheering at the sidelines, the sound of all our feet on the road and the sounds of everyone breathing. I just find it to be supremely satisfying.
It is a joy to race. 🙂 Even though I will NEVER win. LOL. If I keep running into Masters ages and beyond, maybe I can win my age group when I’m an old lady. 😀 For now, I just race myself and revel in each new PR and each race experience. 🙂 PR’d my 10K this past weekend. Still feels good.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Ooh congrats! 🙂
Someday, I will have to race again. I love the crowd cheering, like you said… LOL my sister is always part of that crowd in Boston on Marathon Mondays. She says it’s the best time to live in Boston!
Melissa says
I rest from biking when my legs are weeping and begging for mercy!
Hah. I’ve been biking a lot since I was healing from a stress fracture in my foot due to marathon training (sigh). I found that my legs started to tell me they were really done after about 9-10 days biking in a row or around the 50-70 miles on the bike range.
YMMV!
Listen to your body. If your muscles are fatigued, you’ll be able to tell. You’ll feel like death on a stick. See above re: marathon training. Tired is TIRED and you’ll ask your body for something and it’ll just go “meh, I prefer not to”. Listen when it says that. 😉
Jennifer - jcd says
Awww, lucky duckies! Feeding ducks is classic, and so enjoyable.
Earliest memory…. Hmm… I remember a really big (F5) tornado that hit our city when I was 4. The sky was black, there was giant hail, and we played games in the basement whilst listening to the radio. (random trivia: The Emergency Puplic Warning System was developed as a result of that tornado.) Another early memory I have was decorating cupcakes for my Daddy’s birthday when I was 3.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Cupcake-decorating definitely sounds like a memory worth remembering! One of my earliest memories is making my mom a Chips Ahoy “cake” for her birthday (two cookies with ice cream sndwiched in the middle… and a candle on top lol).
dragonmamma/naomi says
I remember waking up really early in the morning and seeing my mom working out to the Jack LaLanne show, and I would try to imitate her. I specifically remember the upside-down bicycles, and when Jack’s German Shepherds would wander onto the stage.
Namaste Gurl says
Awwwh, Katie, you’re not lazy. I’m the one who’s lazy 😉 I’ve had to give up running for a whole WEEK(yes, I sad week!) due to my twisted foot. IT’s healing and doing better, but I still can’t run on it yet. I’ve been doing other things to suffice the high energy in me like swimming (I do a class), biking, etc. Just not running yet as that’s heavy on my poor foot.
Funny, I used to try to feed snails to my poor dog– And he actually ate one. And guess what? I did too! Yuck. Can’t even remember the taste, luckily. I wasn’t a vegetarian yet, obviously 😉
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Oh goodness, girl, I hope your foot heals soon! *Sends get-well wishes*
But it doesn’t mean you’re being lazy; it means you’re being SMART! So many people try to exercise on a hurt foot and end up injuring it even more!
Namaste Gurl says
Thank you, sweet Katie 🙂
It’s healing away, but it’s taking slower than usual since I’m on it a lot…well not running yet.
Valerie says
Haha I’m a lazy butt every day!
Marina says
I love waking up with sunshine. It always makes me happy, and my day is immediately better.
Hm.earliest memory. Can’t remember 😀
Caitlin says
Aw feeding duckies! I used to LOVE to do that with my mom and sister or dad and sister or anyone else willing to take me!
My earliest memory is a nightmare from when I was still in a crib, so I must have been pretty young. 2 giants (one with orange hair, one with black) were attacking my house, and I had to get out of my crib and go into my parent’s room next door for safety. It was terrifying, which is likely why it is burned into my brain.
I still remember my dreams every morning!
abby says
my earliest memory is of making cookies with my mama! but we have it on video camera, so i’m not actually sure if it’s a real memory or if i just think i remember it because it’s so vivid due to the fact that i have it all on tape and have watched it so many times. 🙂
loveeatnowafter says
Christina (my roomie) uses ur melt a banana trick all the time for her oatmeal and everytime she does it I shout CCK! lol I also shout it when she makes ur chocolate oatmeal as well. What i’m really doing however, is trying to send her subtle messages in hopes that she’ll want to make another one of ur creations (cough fudge babies cough) so i can mooch lol 🙂 ive been craving them and really need to go to the market and get some dates!!! (both the fruit variety and the boy kind too wouldn’t hurt- only unlike u i never find any cute boys to talk to at whole foods or shoe stores!!)
i wish we had a duck pond around here! i miss doing that when i was younger!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
LOL!! And lol about the boys too, although I wouldn’t mind some dates here either. I’m cursing the fact that Sport Store Hottie lives all the way in New York. It’s no fun :(.
Angela says
Today is my rest day – I got up and did some weights but no cardio. To be honest, I’m not a big fan of weight training either. I’ve only ever enjoyed classes. And even those I don’t love as much running. Core Fusion is awesome though. That’s one strength class I can get into.
I don’t know if its my first memory, but an early one is of a nightmare about The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak from the original Strawberry Shortcake. It was a terrible nightmare and I ran to my older sister crying. My family never lets me live it down.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Maybe I should try to take a class… but it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who hates weight-lifting! People are always talking about how much fun it is!
Caitlin says
Katie! This has nothing to do with memories or running, but I just wanted to tell you that I used your PMS chocolate to make the most DELICIOUS peanut butter cups today. They were so easy. All you do is scoop a little of the PMS into the bottoms of cupcake liners. Let this get semi-hard in the freezer. Then scoop a blob of peanut butter on top and cover with more chocolate and freeze. Can it get any easier? It was my first time trying the PMS Chocolate, and now I am literally bursting with ideas of what else to cover in chocolate! Thank you for yet another delicious recipe :).
thedelicateplace says
i usually wake up with the sun too (but it’s been so dark lately cmon daylight savings!) but this morning it was soooo dark and pouring rain boo! i’m gonna hit the ole Tmill today, i had my rest yesterday and decided watching breaking bad episodes with my husband would be more fun and it was haha
mckella says
I’m not sure what my earliest memory is…I lived in Sierra Madre California till I was five and I remember it vividly. Going to the park down the street, the weird wooden sailor guy outside a seafood place, playing with my friends from church, etc.
Oh wait, I vaguely remember swallowing a screw in my room late at night! Mom said this happened when I was three or four. Scary!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Yikes! I swallowed a penny once. I thought that was bad, but yours beats it!
spoonfulofsugarfree says
Ahh! Duckies are so cute! I live on a lake, and we have a nice family of ducks we like to feed 🙂
But a word of warning: NEVER try to feed seagulls! They are VICIOUS! I had a friend who tried to feed them once, and hundreds of them swarmed around her! Also, one time my family brought our lunch onto to the beach…we were fine for a couple minutes, and then all of a sudden they attacked! They took my sandwich right out of my hand 🙁 They also chased my little brother around like crazy! It was hilarious, though, because my brother was scared to death, and screaming like crazy while he was trying to throw sand at them….ahhh…good family times…
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Agreed 100%!!! Seagulls are evil!
They even will eat your dirty, smelly sneakers: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2009/08/13/sneaker-stealing-seagulls/
Evil, I tell ya! 😉
couchpotatoathlete says
Last year on the day my younger sister got married, I was with our other sister and her 2 kids at a park. Suddenly a huge group of ducks landed near the park and just hung out — I ran over to the store and bought a loaf of bread and we sat and fed the ducks. My niece Flora (she was 2 at the time) just laughed and laughed as we fed the ducks. I started to cry because she was so darn cute.
Whoa that was kind of long… My first childhood memory is playing outside with my older sister: we would gather up the cotton that fell from the cotton trees. We’d bake these big huge cotton balls and just run around and act silly.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Awwwww… hey, maybe that will be HER first memory. 🙂
Little Bookworm says
How nice to go and feed the ducks. 🙂 Your breakfast looks amazing, love the melted banana trick!
Jessica (Fit and Clean) says
I want to sleep allll day, but I can’t ever past like 8am. I’m pretty sure my internal clock is on my kids school schedule (6:30am!) My earliest memory is falling down a flight of stairs at my Aunt’s house when I was 2. I was trying to fly, and pretending I was Wonder Woman. Hahahaha!!! I was ok, just a broken nose….I swear I don’t think I’m Wonder Woman anymore. I think my hopes got dashed at that point! 😉
eatinglikeahorse says
I still use the banana trick just about every day, it’s the way forward!
I also wake up at silly o’clock on days off but when I went to Spain recently, didn’t even open my eyes till11.30 on the first morning, which is unheard of… then I realised it was because the windows had such thick shutters, no light could get in… I experimented with blocking the windows at home the other weekend and it worked a treat (or would have, if I’d blocked them in a different way… the board falling on me didn’t exactly help matters 🙂 )
Nicole (Picky Nicky) says
One of my earliest memory was on the beach with my cousin. We we’re waiting on the shore for the waves to come in and we pretended we were “paying” for the waves by throwing sand into the water… very random 😛
Anyway, I love feeding the ducks! Sometimes there are even fish that come and join the feast!
Have a lovely day,
Nicole
PS: I always look forward to reading your blog, it’s so cute/interesting/amazing!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Awww Nicole, thank you so much. You just made my Friday 🙂 :).
Jennifer says
My earliest memory includes sitting in a high chair and throwing raisins!
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says
From a pysch perspective, it’s totally normal to remember things that were a bit traumatic since our brain encodes those things differently than say, just a trip to the grocery store. See all my random psych education even helps me on food blogs…lol 🙂
Glad you were able to take a chill day on running. We all need chill days, even if we WANT to be active, it’s better sometimes to rest. Glad you’re listening to the ole body!
xo
Amber Shea @Almost Vegan says
Before I was a runner, I thought it was crazy to look forward to working out…but there’s just something about running that makes me WANT to do it. So I can relate.
My first memory is crying at a family barbecue because the big kids shoved me out of the way when the piñata broke, and I didn’t get any candy…then all the adults laughed at me for crying! :[ Traumatic, I tell you.
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
I completely relate to your comment! I used to loathe going to the gym, but I’d drag myself. Little did I know I was just doing the wrong activities. Not everything is for everyone. People always ask how I can love running so much, but the truth is I want to know the exact same thing about people who love yoga! I tried it for a whole year and just could not learn to love it.
Shelby says
Aw, ducks are so cute 🙂
Hmm, my earliest memory…I don’t know how old I was but I remember playing at this park in Arizona with my mom and older brother. I was hanging from these rings and my mom was taking pictures of me.
Rachael says
Nothing wrong with a “lazy” day – I think it’s just a matter of reframing it into being described as relaxing. I’m about to head out for a run, but all I’ve done today is cook…and shell chestnuts…and cook….more chestnuts. Seriously need to get out of the house!
My earliest memory is of playing in a purple room while wearing a purple dress in some long-dead relative’s house in Virginia. I was very upset at being in a dress, and kept trying to strip down…
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Chestnuts?? I loooove chestnuts! But I’m lazy, so I buy them pre-shelled at the Asian market :). (Much cheaper there than at WF)
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
My earliest memory was being pushed on a porch swing by my cousin while it was raining. 🙂
caronae says
I love feeding ducks! Actually I just love ducks in general. 🙂 They are so fun.
I don’t have a ton of early memories. I definitely remember my preschool classroom from when I was three though! I remember lining up in the hallway behind the teacher!
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
Haha and everyone fought to be line leader! Why did we do that?!
Pure2raw Twins says
Love the ducks… too cute.
Earliest memory that is tough… I have many but one of my favorites is chowing down on some chocolate cake… well most if it ended up on my face instead of in my mouth 😉
Chocolate-Covered Katie says
No fair; how come my first memory can’t involve chocolate?! 😉