Today was a day of preparations.

First off, I spent this afternoon shopping for the supplies I’ll need to bake a wedding cake for my brother-in-law and his fiance.

I’ve talked about this on the blog before, albeit a very long time ago, so it may be news to many of you that I’m baking a wedding cake soon.

I actually love baking, though I don’t do it that much anymore. There was once a time not too long ago that I was trying to get into culinary school to study baking and patisserie. I ended up not going, mostly because it was really expensive and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with that education.

So, I’m pretty jazzed to get to make this cake for Kevin and Ashley’s wedding. I’ve tested the cake recipe and buttercream before, so all that’s really left to do is a color test on the fondant to get it the right shades and I’ll be ready. I’ll definitely be sure to chronicle my cake baking adventures next month when the big day comes!

Next up, I made sure everything I need for the Tour Decatur 5K tomorrow was washed and ready.

Brand new athletic socks are a rare joy! 😉

The Garmin is fully charged, and after several months of ownership I have finally broken in my running shoes to where they don’t feel like two styrofoam bricks on my feet!

I’m not bringing an iPod this time because music tends to distract me. I’ll just listen to the sweet music of my ragged breathing instead.

I also mixed together a batch of muesli which I will be partaking in for breakfast before the race.

I layered toasted sesame, raw pumpkin seeds, toasted buckwheat, rolled oats, oat bran, flax meal, chia seeds, dried cranberries, golden raisins, desiccated coconut, and goji berries. All I have to do in the morning is shake it up and eat a few spoonfuls with almond milk and fresh blueberries for a filling and nutritious breakfast.

So, all that was left to do tonight was load up on carbs!

I like to buy pre-made whole wheat pizza dough from my local farmer’s market and roll it out myself. This one got topped with red pepper flake, pepperoncinis, roasted red peppers, prosciutto, and mozzarella cheese. Delish!

I checked the weather and saw that it’s gonna be a tad bit chill and possibly raining in the morning!

Hopefully my cheerful water bottle will chase away the rain.

I smile every time I look at it!

I’ve been hydrating like it’s my job today so that I don’t bonk in the morning.

So, everything seems to be as in order as it can be for tomorrow. It calms me down to have all my ducks in a row.

Wish me luck on my race! (And luck that it doesn’t pour down rain!)

March 25, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Fitness 6 comments

I’ve got lots of fun news to share!

Firstly, I just registered for the Tour Decatur 5K benefitting the Decatur Education Foundation that’ll take place on March 26th!

I’m really enjoying the nice weather we’re having in Georgia right now, especially because it’s made me excited to run outdoors again. I’ve definitely lost some of my ability, but I’ve been gaining it back pretty swiftly and I know I’m in condition to run this race at the end of the month with a good chance of PRing.

Secondly, I’ve officially volunteered to help with water service during the Publix Georgia Marathon on March 20th!

I would love to run this someday, it goes through so many cool parts of town! The half marathon ends in downtown Decatur where I’ll be positioned at the mile #13 hydration station. It’s going to be so much fun helping out and cheering everyone on! I know Kristy from Kristy Runs will be running this one, see you at the finish line lady!

Thirdly and lastly, I wanna thank Angela at OhSheGlows for featuring another one of my recipes on her Vegan Recipe Link Love series! This time it’s for my kabocha pecan bread, which I am reminded that I should make again since it is super yummy for breakfast.

Hello, new readers! 😀

Well, that’s the news folks, stay tuned for more of your favorite programming!

March 2, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Fitness 7 comments

Ugh. I feel terrible today.

Why? Because of yoga. Yes, I feel like I’ve been run through a pasta machine because hot yoga kicked my butt last night.

I went back to Atlanta Hot Yoga with Lee, Laura, and Kristy again for essentially the same class we all took together last time. A few things were different though: we had a different instructor, the class was probably twice as packed as last time, and it felt so much hotter!

Last time I was never thinking about the heat, this time it was all I could think about. I got really dizzy and was having trouble breathing at one point so I had to sit down. I really pushed myself to at least try to do the poses even if I couldn’t do them very well, but any time we had to put our arms up for a pose I would feel like I was gonna hurk.

We all agreed that it was much harder this time. Still, I think that I had so much trouble mostly because I didn’t drink enough water yesterday. I know better now.

It felt so good to step out into the cold air outside the studio. Kristy surprised me with a Picky Bar, she was talking about them on her blog the other day and I thought they sounded interesting.

These are so good! This flavor tasted like peanut butter with chocolate chips and a fruity flavor in the background. I could only eat a bite or two when she gave it to me because I was feeling so run down, but I polished off the rest of it today and loved it!

This morning I tried to eat a banana and a carrot cake breakfast bar, but my body just said no.

Half of this is still in my fridge. My body just wants liquids like crazy today, further suggesting to me that all my troubles stem from dehydration.

Amazingly though, I really did still enjoy myself. I think I’m going to buy a package of 5 visits to my local Decatur Hot Yoga studio soon and try to turn this into a habit. I love how strong I feel the next day, like I’ve worked every tiny muscle in my body. My shoulders look rounded, my legs are more defined, and my butt is tight! Love that!

What is your favorite snack or meal replacement bar?

February 10, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Fitness 3 comments