Currently: July Edition

Happy Sunday! I hope you have enjoyed a most wonderful weekend. I certainly did. Well, for the most part, but we'll get to that! I was fairly productive in terms of crossing things off my to-do list - got my bike fixed (I have this grand plan of biking to school when the weather cooperates), watched the gymnastic Olympic trials, whipped up a batch of delicious banana oatmeal zucchini muffins - recipe to come, celebrated National Sugar Cookie Day with funfetti cookies, 

Girls just wanna have fun(fetti)

grabbed one of my favorite lunches (and pre-race day fuel) in town at Black Walnut Cafe with Sarah, 

spent time reading and hanging with my precious pup, 

and today, I ran 13.04 miles in Navasota, Texas. And that's where the "for the most part" comes in. Where to begin? First of all, this was my very first time running a trail race, and for my trail race debut, I decided 13.04 miles in the middle of a Texas July was a great option. Turns out, it wasn't. And I'm going to be honest. This was about the most miserable race I think I have ever run. And I can credit that one to myself entirely. Trail running is a heck of a lot different than pavement running, and while I naively thought my Rice Jogging Trail and Hermann Park runs would aid me in my training, boy was I ever wrong. I had to run through mud and dirt and sand (yeah, my calves are already feeling it), over rocks and tree roots (in true Kelli fashion, I took a spill), uphill and downhill and uphill and downhill, and I was thoroughly under-prepared. Though to be fair, I am not entirely sure what I would do differently, except do some hill training, and practice running through sand.

My shoes got heavier and heavier by the lap

So, with all of that, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I really didn't have any fun running this three-loop race. But then again, perhaps my first trail race should have been a distance shorter than 13 miles. After a successful 10 miles last weekend, I thought this would be no sweat. Oh, it was sweat. Lots and lots of sweat. And while I just spent a good length of this post complaining, I'm grateful. Grateful for two legs that allow me to run, grateful for cloud cover, as opposed to adding the fierce rays of sunshine into the mix, grateful for the encouraging community of runners who sent nothing but kind words my way when I so badly wanted to stop, grateful for volunteers at the aid stations, grateful for a truly beautiful course, and I'm grateful for my competitive spirit, because everything in me wanted to quit after two loops, telling myself I'd be satisfied with 8.5ish miles. But I know myself, and I know that I set out to run 13 of them, and while I have yet to move from the couch, and the only thing I can stomach right now are Saltines and Gatorade, and this feeling of accomplishment is more than worth it. Though I may not be signing up for another trail race anytime soon!

Very ashamed of this mirror pic, but here I am post-race

Anyway, it is Sunday, which means it's time for a survey. I love filling out these "Currently" surveys. And the best part is, even if I have done it before, it's called "Currently," so it changes on the reg. Well, some of it, anyway.

• Currently Cooking…

Quinoa. They tell you not to eat anything you can’t pronounce, but I feel as though quinoa is a good exception to that rule.

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Quinoa salad with salmon from Hungry's

• Currently Anticipating… 

The release of J.K. Rowling’s newest book – The Cursed Child. I CAN’T WAIT!

You better believe I'll be dressing up for the midnight release

• Currently Listening To…

I wish I could say that I was listening to some cool podcast series - perhaps I should get into Serial? - but I'm not. The only podcasts I listen to are past church services that I may have missed. That being said, if you have any podcast suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I need something to keep me occupied on my daily walks with Mack.

• Currently Craving…

There are a couple of things in life that I will never turn down – Chocolate and sweet potato fries. And while I typically eat chocolate every day, sweet potato fries are an every-once-in-a-while indulgence for me. But I always eat all of them (and then some) every single time.

• Currently Drinking…

Water, water, and a little bit of Gatorade. With these crazy temperatures and my crazy running schedule, I have to make triple sure that I stay hydrated. I am rarely seen without my 40oz. Hydro Flask, and I refill it four or five times a school day. Perks of teaching summer school means I have access to the lounge water dispensers. It’s the little things, people.

• Currently Day Dreaming About…

My next vacation! I’ve got both Machu Picchu and Italy on the brain. And you know I’m not afraid to just board a plane and go.

(Source)

• Currently Indulging In…

Dark chocolate. Always. Every single day.

Taza is my favorite brand of chocolate -- so far, I can only find it at Central Market

• Currently Avoiding…

Checking my bank account. With summer comes more free time, which means I’m more likely to eat out or go shopping without giving much thought to the possible repercussions. Whoops. Perks of staying busy during the school year, I guess.

• Currently Needing…

To get my eyebrows waxed. To do the district online trainings. To do my usual Sunday food prep. To get my car washed (okay, and taken care of from when I backed into a pole). Yikes! I better get busy!

• Currently Coveting…

Hmm, I don't know! I guess I'm not "coveting" anything, but I am on the hunt for a new teacher bag. Okay, I haven't really looked that hard, but I will be on the lookout for one. It's something I treat myself to every year. 

• Currently Loving…

S U M M E R ! Okay, I have been teaching summer school, and volleyball never really ends, but the fact that I was able to spend three weeks in Argentina, doing absolutely anything my heart desired, and the fact that I’m able to cross things off of my “Houston Bucket List” without any feelings of guilt is one of my favorite things about summer vacation. And you certainly can’t beat lazy afternoons on the couch with the pup.

• Currently Reading…

The Shining by Stephen King. This is actually my first time reading a Stephen King novel, and while it’s not what I typically read, I’m pretty pumped about it. And then I can finally watch the movie.

• Currently Watching…

I never have a show that I’m currently watching, mainly because I never have a show that I can consistently watch from week to week. Especially now that volleyball season is just a couple of weeks away, and I don’t have DVR. I know, I’m probably the only person in the history of ever without it. But I can't tear myself away from the Olympic Trials, and this is only going to get worse when the actual Olympics begin!

And on that note, I'm off to park it on the couch for the rest of the day. And maybe cross some things off of that "need to do" list. Or maybe not. There's always tomorrow!