Today ranks up there with one of the strangest days ever. I went to work feeling really tired and semi out of it, and remained in that state for most of the morning. During lunch I went to a grocery store near my work to pick up a few things and I passed the store twice even though it is directly on the main road in plain site. Then I got a shopping cart that I kid you not, had an electrical current running through it?! I started off pushing it with my palms because I don’t like to touch the bar with my hands (germies!!) and I kept feeling this little shock every 5 seconds or so. So I put my whole hands on the bar and the shock got worse! I then tried to steer the cart with my forearms, and got shocked through my wool sweater?? Whaaa??? It was insane and by the time I left the store, my hands and brain were buzzing. So weird!

While I went to the store to pick up a few things for the house, I also went to pick something up for lunch because I accidentally left the lunch I was going to pack, out on the counter all night After roaming the aisles for 20 minutes (getting shocked the whole time,) I could not find one.single.thing. in that whole dang store that sounded appetizing! This has never happened in 25 years!! I headed back to work sans lunch and decided that I needed to get something or else I would be starving by the end of the day. So I booked it to our cafeteria before it closed and nabbed a half turkey sandwich on wheat. Finally, something that went right! It was stacked with pepper jack cheese, cucumbers, red onions and Dijon mustard, and it hit the spot. I tried to polish it off with the last of the fruit salad from the shower…but I was repulsed at having to eat it for like the 13^th time and couldn’t even finish it!

I made it to the end of my work day and had every intention of going straight to the gym. I was plotting my workout from the time I left the parking garage, to the time I hit the freeway…and then…all of the sudden…I was pulling into my driveway instead of the gym?? What…how…when…?? The cherry on top came when I found myself two minutes later eating CLUSTERS! I literally had to mentally mind slap myself right then and there. I ran to my bedroom, threw on my running clothes and booked.it. out the front door.

Now if you knew anything about me, you’d know that my most hated weather elements are:

• Cold
• Wind
• Rain

In that order. A perfect trifecta of my own personal hell. And it’s this exact trifecta that I was heading into. 35 degree wind chill, gusty winds and a steady stream of drizzle that we hadn’t kicked all day. I didn’t care…I ran like there was no tomorrow. 5.5 miles of numb legs, burning ears and running mascara. It was the best run I have had in I can’t remember how long.

I’ve been consistently running for about 4 years now and if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that there is no perfect formula for a good run. Zip, zero, zilch. If you would’ve told me I’d be running in these conditions (mental and weather) yesterday, I would have called you crazy. But today – it was the perfect (albeit, odd) combination to a great run. And that, is why runs are like snowflakes. Each one is completely different. Lame? Maybe. But I could have said runs are like chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get – and that’s even lamer.  

So thank you out-of-it morning me, electric shopping cart and cinnamon maple almond clusters…because you steered me into the direction of a fantastic run, out of one of the weirdest days ever.

Ok – if you’ve made it this far – bless your little heart. It gets better and less odd from here!

For dinner, there was only one thing I could think of that would be the perfect antidote to a cold, windy and rainy day. Chili. Is there anything that represents chilly weather food, better than chili? I think not.

Chili is my favorite “non-recipe” recipe. I just throw in whatever I have on hand. Usually I start with some ground turkey breast, tomato sauce and black beans, and then add whatever else I have on hand. Today I didn’t have any black beans so I subbed in some couscous. Yes, that couscous It made an awesome addition! The spices I used consisted of a tooooon of chili powder, chili flakes, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and S&P. I ladled a big scoop into one of my favorite mugs (Starbucks mug from San Diego – I collect these babies!), topped ‘er off with some shredded, cheddar cheese and got ready to hunker down for the evening. I polished it all off with a beautifully decorated, iced sugar cookie from the baby shower. Perfect.

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One fab duo!

Thanks for listening – er…reading! – everyone! Do you ever have days where you just feel “off”? What do you think causes them? What do you do to combat them?