Hey guys!
So it has been a tumultuous week or so in Charlotte but I am hoping Monday will be the start of a new page for our city.
While Wednesday night was completely crazy downtown, it seems as though things calmed down a lot after that. We live downtown so we mostly stayed inside on Wednesday night, but we did venture out during the day on Thursday. It was really upsetting seeing businesses vandalized and properties destroyed. I had so many feelings of hurt deep down inside. But then I tried to remember that Martin Luther King Jr said that a riot is the language of the unheard, and that now is an important time to really try to understand racial issues in our country.
By the time Saturday rolled around there had been a couple of nights of peaceful protests and things felt a lot safer downtown. A bar in the Epicentre hosts Virginia Tech games every week, and I really wanted to go watch the 12:30pm game and support a local business.
Lots of people thought I was crazy for wanting to go down there but the Epicentre area seemed like a ghost town and there is a strong National Guard presence. We watched the first half of the game with a handful of other Hokies and then stopped and thanked the National Guard on the way out.
On a Lighter Note
Okay, Iโm not trying to brush off the events of the past week but I would like to mentally get into a different frame of mind and trend towards back to normal around here. So we did do a few fun things this weekend! We tried out a new Thai restaurant called Deejai Thai on Saturday night. B liked his Pad Thai and I was very happy with my sushi.
I unsuccessfully went clothes shopping for work but I did find a new lamp from TJ Maxx.
I love the lamp itself but I canโt decide if itโs too tall.
What do you think?
Slow Cooker Adventures
I picked up a spaghetti squash at the store on Saturday and decided to throw it in my slow cooker yesterday afternoon. I kind of just think that you can cook almost anything in the slow cooker and you wonโt have to dirty a bunch of dishes or babysit an oven. I washed the outside of the squash and put the entire thing in my slow cooker on low for 5 hours. It was cooked perfectly when it was finished.
If I could do it over again then I would poke some holes in the outside of the squash before I cooked it. The sound that it made when I sliced it open when it was done made me think I was 30 or so minutes away from a squash explosion in my kitchen.
I ended up making โpastaโ for dinner but my overall verdict was a thumbs down. I love spaghetti squash but it just wasnโt a substitute for noodles for me. And Iโm all about moderation and bulk my pasta meals up with lots of veggies anyway, so Iโm usually not too concerned with โcarb overloadโ with my pasta dishes.
This Week
I have taken the past 2 weeks off of physical activity after my triathlon and have spent a lot of time resting and enjoying my free time. But now Iโm ready to get back into some sort of exercise regimen!
Iโm facing the tough question of โwhatโs next?โ after devoting 3 solid months to triathlon workouts. I would really like to shift my focus from a โtrainingโ mentality to more fun things. Doing activities that I love (like cycling), spending time outside, and enjoying these kinds of things with other friends.
I also need to buy a new sports watch to replace my Garmin Forerunner 305. I would ideally like to find something that would be suitable for more triathlon training later on. Any recommendations?
On a โdamn, Iโm an adultโ note, I also have to find a new primary care doctor and dentist since I just moved. If you live in Charlotte and have any recommendations then I would love them!
What did you do this weekend?
Are you currently training for something or just enjoying being active?
What is your favorite workout watch? I would like to stick with Garmin but I have heard the new Apple Watch is trying to step up their workout game.
Who else is watching the Hillary vs. Donald debate tonight?! Iโll be there 
That’s so cool that you’re going to the debate!
Rioting always makes me feel sad too. It’s hard to think about the local small business owners whose lives it can completely disrupt. Like you said though, it’s important to try and understand why people would riot and ruin their own towns. You have to imagine that anyone who would make destruction in the place they are living is feeling pretty bad and thinks it’s one of the only ways to be heard,
Definitely on a lighter note I would say I love my Garmin Vivoactive. I have the first gen one which is smaller (and prettier) then the current gen one. The current gen one has heart rate monitoring built in, which I would love to have, but it’s so big and bulky looking. The Vivoactive can track swim, bike, run and golf! It has different modes to track swim, bike and run indoors and outdoors. It also tracks your daily steps and sleep if you want to wear it 24/7.
I love my Vivoactive but I have my eyes on the Fenix 3 in rose gold. I mean it’s just so flipping beautiful! I definitely don’t need a Fenix 3 since I’m not a triathlete but man, the watch makes me want to be one so I could justify the price haha!
I completely agree with everything you said about rioting. It’s making me sad to see all of the stuff people are sharing on Facebook right now. It kind of goes back to the old school thinking that you shouldn’t judge someone until you’ve walked in their shoes.I really appreciate all of the thoughtful things my black friends have said over the course of this to help me understand the way they are feeling.
Back to the lighter note- So I looked up the Fenix 3 and it is seriously beautiful in rose gold. I think I definitely need that watch to train for my sprint triathlons ;) But I just bought a new handbag!!! #firstworldproblems. If you wanted to purchase that then I would definitely support you.
Hahah thank you for that support! I like what you said to Denise about a GPS watch being an investment. I’m sure it would help us in our training too. Who wouldn’t be inspired every time he/she looked down at that beautiful watch?
This weekend I did a Ragnar Trail event–8 people ran about 120 miles over 24 hours. It was fun and challenging! I have the Chicago Marathon in two weeks, which is my first ever marathon. I am in the taper period, which is a relief, but race day nerves are already starting to set in. :) I love my Garmin 235. It is pricey ($340), but I waited for a sale and got it for $250. Still expensive, but I really like it. If money wasn’t an issue, I’m with Kristina that I’d get the Fenix 3. It’s an amazing watch. I’ll definitely be watching the debate tonight–should be interesting!
I have always wanted to do a Ragnar! They seem like so much fun.
I remember your review of your Garmin and the 235 is on my radar since your post. I’m glad that you like it! My thoughts on these watches is that they are an investment and completely worth it. I’ve had my Forerunner 305 since 2010 and use it often. That’s 6 years! Longer than any other electronic device I’ve had.