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Appetites and Adventures

The Long Run + Peppermint Mocha

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Perspective is important this time of year.

 

Today’s guest post from Kat is all about the Long Run.  I love that she chose this topic at the beginning of the holiday insanity.  Sometimes it’s all too easy to get caught up in the rush and forget to enjoy the moment.

I’ll be keeping this in mind over the next few crazy busy days!  I’m off on a work trip before heading out of town for Thanksgiving.  If you saw the disarray my kitchen is in (food prep and office Thanksgiving party baking).  And let’s just pretend the rest of my condo doesn’t look like a tornado of clothes and suitcases…

Here’s Kat!!!

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Firstly, I have to say that after the rash of comments from my last post, I was surprised, happy, and blushing!  Seriously!  I love that people want to read what I have to say.  Thanks for the extra cheek work-out!  No wonder so many of you are hooked on blogging.  It’s a feel-good mechanism!  (Editor’s note: agreed!  All you guys ROCK!)

Because the past two weeks have been SO crazy, I have had to focus on the long run.  I baby-sat a very time-consuming young puppy, Maggie.  She had to be crated and couldn’t be left alone for more than about 5 hours.  This is typically not conducive to my schedule, but sometimes you have to make things work!

 

It was time to focus on what would help me succeed in the long run (both metaphorically and actual running).  Three things I have kept in the front of my mind in the past two weeks were to relax, be present, and set no expectations about results.  I know I will get it all done, I just have to believe in myself.

 

In the long run, stressing will NOT help you succeed.  Besides adjusting my schedule for the bundle of joy that is Maggie, I also had to go to Arizona for my cousin’s wedding.  That same weekend, I also had to write a 15 page paper, coordinate with a partner to draft a buy-out agreement, and do business tax problems.  (This is in addition to my usual and regular workload. UGH!).  Initially, this all felts extremely unmanageable, but ….dun dun dun… it all got done and I did not stress.  I found an hour here and 20 minutes there to fit it all in.

However, I almost had a fit when the flight attendant on my flight to Phoenix told me I was not allowed to use the blue tooth keyboard on my iPad!!!!!!  That almost added some stress to the weekend, but I seriously made it work! The three things kept me sane.  Relax, be present, and set no expectations about results.

 

In the long run, you will remember the special moments with your family if you are really able to allow yourself to just be with them.  At my cousin’s wedding in Arizona, I was a bridesmaid, met my cousin’s baby, my god-daughter (luckiest girl in the world!!).

What is the point of pushing yourself if you cannot relax and be present, and enjoy the moments you get with friends and family.  Stress happens, but keeping perspective on things that are truly important can really help.  I hardly ever get to see my family, so with a little effort to shove my work into the back of my mind, I was able to really be there and enjoy moments with my family, and the new additions to my family through the marriage.

 

In the long run, not planning your run might just make you happier.  I also squeezed in some GREAT runs.  On Saturday, I ran the wrong way.  Not that there is a wrong way to run, but I didn’t realize that if I ran the other way, I could run all the way to the mountains and unsuccessfully look for a trail to run.  Sunday, I did this, and was my longest run since my ultra, and it left my IT band screaming a little (thank god for my foam roller!), but the beauty, scenery, and peace of mind it gave me were priceless! It really helped to go out, relax, and not set any expectation about pace, distance, or how I might feel afterwards.

On my run in phoenix—someone is a lucky girl (me!)

 

In the long run, the little things add up to a LOT of happiness.  That being said, enough about craziness.  Today I actually want to share something I’ve been DYING to write about since it’s inception, and I think it’s perfect timing with the holidays around the corner.  

Coffee is one of my favorite things in the entire world.  Honestly, I can turn anyone into an addict if they have my coffee.  It’s the way I make it… OMG. Coffee is a production at my house.  I recently started doing my own version of a peppermint mocha (but with fewer calories than Starbucks or your local coffee shop).

Please try this – you will not regret it – and do you like my very first edited/stitched picture? – *becoming a blogger*

 

It might look like I dropped some illegal (now legal in Colorado and Washington) substances in with my coffee grounds, but it’s not… it’s dried peppermint leaves from Penzy’s Spices (a favorite).  I bet you can do this in a regular coffee maker, or a French press, but I use what I refer to as a “drip drip”.  I have no idea what it is actually called.

I make it with two scoops of coffee grounds, a half-ish or more scoop of the peppermint leaves, then just pour on the hot water to brew.  IN THE CUP: I add a pinch of sea salt, a scoop of dark chocolate cocoa powder, and splenda/stevia/sugar to taste. It’s the most peppermint-y delicious cup of coffee you will ever have, and this little thing will add up to a LOT of happiness!!!  I Promise. 🙂  (Editor’s Note: Kat… do you deliver?)
In other good news, Maggie was actually a foster dog, and she got adopted today!!!  Yay!  See the picture of her with her new mom:

Tooooo adorable

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I’m continually blown away by Kat and her productivity.  I’m working on a recipe to bottle her energy!

What helps you in the long run?

What little happiness-es help you get through stressful days?

 

Comments

  1. I love Penzey’s.

    I love peppermint, and cannot WAIT to do this to my coffee!

    I love pet adoption. we adopted Basil from a rescue, and he was with a foster family before us…

    when I have way too much in my schedule or things are just stressful, I need those little happinesses… lately it’s things like spending the last 20 minutes of the day in a warm bath or with a book – something to decompress and let my mind relax.

    and if I can, the first 20-45 minutes of the day is mine also – treadmill or gym 🙂

  2. You are right. Stress happens and the only thing we can control is how we handle it and let it affect us. I’m under a lot of pressure right now (mostly self created!), and I keep trying to remember that and tackle one thing at a time with a smile on my face.
    Onto the coffee, I think you might be high (;)) because that sounds amazing. I agree with the editor’s note. Do you deliver because I’ll never be able to look at my boring cup of joe the same way again. He just feels so inadequate now.

  4. I totally needed this! I have so much trouble with stress and anxiety and learning how to deal with it and I love your viewpoint on it! Very helpful!

    • Thanks for the wonderful comment! 🙂 I hope it does help you (at least temporarily) keep your perspective positive!

  5. LOVE the coffee recipe! I’m not a fan of normal flavored coffee’s because they have a weird chemical after taste, but this is amazing! Thank you! I totally agree with you about the non-planned run. It’s so much better to just “go”.

  8. This post totally resonated with me! I’ve recently begun running, and, for the most part (i.e. when my joints aren’t screaming at me), I enjoy it. Sometimes though, when I plan out a specific run on a specific day at a specific time, it sets up that run on some pedestal in my mind, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I build that run up and up in my head as being a completely necessary part of my existence. Then when that time comes, maybe I’m too tired. Or maybe I had a killer workout the day before, and my legs are just too darn heavy. Or maybe someone else proposes another workout that morning. Or maybe I want to drink a pot of coffee with too much Bailey’s in it and read for too long. For whatever reason, maybe I don’t go for that run. Then I beat myself up, even if I used that time for something else that was good for me. I’ve begun to realize that that’s really not what it’s about. Ultimately, running is about the runner, no one else, just the runner. I’m not letting anyone down when I change my mind about a run, not even myself. I’m just changing my plan for something that may prove to be even better for me in the long run.

    Oh, and about the coffee, pour over is delightful! I love the idea of peppermint leaves. And chocolate in coffee is ALWAYS a good idea. I’ll bet that would be really refreshing over ice too!

    Great post!

    • “Or maybe I want to drink a pot of coffee with too much Bailey’s in it.” you have me crying-laughing at this. 🙂

    • I will SO have to try this over ice! Good idea!

      Thanks for the wonderful comment! I’m glad this really sat well with you! I think it’s helpful for everyone to think about how NOT to overthink things.

  9. this post is so great, i think I get caught up in the moment like that too and just forget of all of the bigger pictures things I have going for me. Plus your dog is just adorable.

    • Thanks Alex!! (I started getting your blogged emailed to me… i LOVE it) Glad you are also enjoying my rare and random posts! 🙂 The dog was adopted by my friend Khristina. It’s amazing

  10. I totally agree with you about being present. Sometimes it’s hard to do, but it makes a world of difference and really lets you enjoy life.
    Your coffee sounds delicious and perfect for this time of year!

  12. Peppermint mocha is probably my favorite drink right now from Starbucks but I am all for making my own 🙂 oh, and Special Dark cocoa is THE BEST FREAKING COCOA IN THE WORLD. I’m a little excited. lol

  13. Great guest post…a good reminder that stress does happen, I forget sometimes and just expect everything to go my way…glad I am not the only one!

    • Haha I think we have a natural inclination to hope and think things will and should go our way! Thanks for the comment!

  14. Ohhh stress is such a little creep. I hate it. But I love the viewpoint you take here. And the peppermint mocha has me wishing for a coffee mug right now! I try to find happiness-es wherever I can, even if it’s that one girl I saw was wearing my favorite color and it made me smile. I know it’s cliche, but it really is all about the little things!

  19. What a beautifully written post! I definitely need regular reminders to keep things in perspective. Inevitably, what we spend so long stressing over never comes to fruition, or the ‘hiccups’ that get in the way of our plans end up being better than the plans themselves. [Even if it takes days, or months, or even years, to recognize how that worked out…]

    Also, I love Penzey’s. And I used to use the ‘drip, drip’ method when I lived alone in college. Now I just limit myself to the teeny tiny “four cup” (it seems so small!) regular coffee maker I inherited in my current abode. I’m sure it would still work though…

    • This is how one-track I am. I read the word “fruition” and though – Oh! I really want to try the restaurant in Denver!

    • Haha do you even know WHAT the drip drip is really called??? Thanks for the sweet comment! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the post!

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