Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Quick Runs and Quick Draws

Posted by CheapRunnerMike

It was another encouraging week of running and I capped things off on Sunday with a really good 10-mile run.  I set off without a real route in mind and ended up getting lost in my own city…highly recommended by the way!  At one point the path was washed out because of all the rain we've had lately so I got off the beaten path and ended up in an unfamiliar neighbourhood.  I had a rough idea where I was but it was new territory.  I ended up exploring some new areas and it was a cool way to see the city.

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My runs this past week have been the quickest they have been in a while.  I wish I knew why that was but  I can't really say for sure.  I have been actively watching what I'm eating, and cutting back on a lot of the snacks (and beer)…this has got me within one measly pound of where I want to be for Chicago.  Maybe the little reduction in weight has contributed to faster runs without the extra effort?  Seems logical I guess…

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Not too many Guinness' these days unfortunately

Kennedy is a real art lover…she loves drawing!  I was the same way when I was her age and I try to encourage her to draw.  When we were at Disney last Fall, Kennedy and I loved going to the Animation Academy at Hollywood Studios where they would teach you how to draw various Disney characters.  We did a few characters there last year and got to spend some really good time together doing something simple that we both enjoyed.  On Saturday afternoon we had decided to do a drawing lesson of our own…Kennedy got to pick out a character she would like to learn how to draw and I would teach her how to go about drawing said character.  To nobody's surprise, she chose Captain Jack Sparrow.  We spent close to an hour working on our drawings and the results turned out great!

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We did another drawing last night, a Minion from Despicable Me, and Jackson wanted to get in on the fun so I did Captain Hook with him.  Something tells me I'll be sharpening a lot of pencils over the next few months!

One last bit of good news…I have found a new coffee shop just down the road from my office.  It is a local shop and they roast all their own coffee.  I've had quite a few cups already and have yet to be disappointed.  I've sampled their Panama, Peru, Sumatra, Hawaiian and Ethiopian and all have been excellent.  If you a a Londoner or happen to find yourself in town, do yourself a favour and try out Fireroasted Coffee Company!  Great coffee and a cool little shop. 

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Do you prefer your coffee local or corporate?

I really like my Starbucks, but the local shops are good too and my coffee dollars stay in the community

Do you draw with your kids?

10 comments:

  1. Does that mean we can stop going to Starbucks?

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  2. No! We don't have to go every day, but I'm not ready to give up Starbucks by any means...

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  3. Getting so close! You will do awesome!

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  4. I don't drink coffee - crazy, I know!!
    Maybe I should give up wine for the next couple of weeks until after my 50, a few extra pounds over that distance would probably help. (Chances are good that I'm not giving it up!!)

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  5. I've read about what you guys are dealing with at work and I don't think you should give up your wine no matter what the benefits may be!

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  6. I really like Peruvian coffee, I found it to have a nice fruity flavor. There are so many local coffee shops around, its easier to go to them than starbucks! until you get into downtown chicago though...

    Great runs! Maintain that performance!

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  7. Ya downtown Chicago you seem to bump into a Starbucks on every corner...it's crazy when you see them literally across the street from each other! The Peruvian was really good, I agree. I went for the Ethiopian this afternoon, also good.

    Hope these runs translate into the marathon, that would be awesome...I almost don't want to taper things are feeling so good right now. Of course I just cursed myself...

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  8. Guinness is my favorite and it's a great way to carb load or refuel...just saying.


    I'll admit that I am a Starbucks fanatic, but I do like smaller coffee places as well but I have had some BAD coffee at those places before. And bad coffee is like a sin to me so I tend to stick with places that I know.

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  9. Well maybe I'll have to add a Guinness to my big bowl of Maggiano's pasta the night before the race...sounds like a perfect pairing to me!

    I agree completely on Starbucks...the great thing is that Starbucks is Starbucks all over the world. You know what you're going to get.

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