I went into this weekend with no plans other than teaching my normal Saturday and Sunday yoga classes and a long run with a friend. I was totally okay with that since I’ve been out so much lately but then I ended up having fun plans come together at the last minute on both Friday and Saturday night. Since this is the summer of yes…without a second thought I said, “I’m in.”

I found myself done with work at 5:30 p.m. on Friday night. I typically train a client or do the Friday 5:30 p.m. CrossFit class with my coach until 6:30 but my client cancelled. I didn’t think “Death By Squat Cleans” was really the smartest workout for me the day before a long run so I headed home where I decided to open a beer and relax and unwind by baking Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars.

While the bars were baking I took Sullie for a walk and chatted with my grandmother. A friend texted and invited me to dinner and a movie.

We saw the movie Calvary at a local independent movie theater. It was a dark (very dark) comedy about a priest who is threatened to be killed during confessional by a man who was sexually abused as a child by a Catholic priest and wants vindication by killing a “good” priest. The movie is formatted to show the next seven days and introduces you to a variety of characters and your left wondering who made the threat. I thought the cinematography was beautiful and Brendan Gleeson’s acting flawless. It was heavy though.

I was up bright and early on Saturday morning to teach doubles at Om Yoga. My message to my classes this weekend was about creating space. Clearing out space in your heart, your home, etc. to make room for growth and new, brighter, better things. We talked about how this space is sometimes really uncomfortable to sit in and it’s our nature to want to make things comfortable but finding peace in it will result in transformation. They practiced sitting in uncomfortable spaces on their mats with long holds in poses like standing splits, goddess, plank and hindi squat and I finished each class with a five minute hold in frog. For more on frog pose, its benefits and a video tutorial, check out this post.

I made a quick stop by the farmers market after classes where I picked up fresh flowers for the house ($10 for this arrangement!), tomatoes, baby bok choy, eggplant, cucumbers, chicken breast and more.

And then it was time to lace up my running shoes and meet my running partner for a long run. So I’ve been tip toeing my way back into running over the last five months or so and on Saturday I ran my longest and best run to date…9.25 miles at a 9:00 pace!!! Due to my teaching schedule, we couldn’t run until early afternoon. I was super worried about the distance and the heat and was unsure of how the run would go. It was around 83 degrees for our run with 65% humidity. I wore my hydration belt for the first time in years and sipped water slowly throughout the run. I am happy to report that my legs felt 100% amazing, the pace was conversational and easy the whole time and I never once felt like I needed to stop or wished it was over. YAY! And my post-run recovery was painless and my legs feel great today!

I ended up meeting some girlfriends out at Vivace for dinner. We sat outside and had an awesome view of the Charlotte skyline. It was a beautiful evening. We all started with this spinach salad that featured baby spinach, escarole, fired gnocchi, shaved parmesan, fennel and a truffle vinaigrette. I think this might be one of the best salads I have ever had! I had risotto for my entree.

I don’t ever want summer to end. I love evenings spent dining outside.

My evening ended with a late night stop at Menchie’s for some frozen yogurt. It was necessary after the long run! 🙂

And a quick look at last week’s workouts…

Monday

3 mile treadmill sprint/hill intervals

Tuesday

CrossFit + Yoga at the Ritz

CrossFit WOD was this 21-15-9 workout from the Games. It took me right at 10 minutes. Everything was super easy except for the freaking snatches. I have not been working that movement enough lately.

Wednesday

6 mile run

Thursday

CrossFit WOD + Strength

I did this crazy WOD that was a 12 minute AMRAP of handstand walks and burpees. I got 11 rounds done and my shoulder were so sore the next day! I do handstands all the time but the walks really challenged me!

And then a strength circuit of barbell front and back squats, weighted sit ups, bicep curls and bent over rows.

Friday

Hot yoga

Saturday

9 mile run

Sunday

REST

And that’s all I have for you for now!

What was the best thing you ate this weekend? I can’t decide if it was those chocolate chip toffee bars, the spinach salad or the froyo! 😉