Hello :) Hope you are having a good start to your week!
After yesterday’s post about the 7 course vegan feast, I left you with a cliff-hanger about Sarasota. The weather was warm but the rain put a real damper on our plans to hit up the beach and relax all day! We decided to see if we could cancel our hotel that we had booked and save some money by heading back to my mom’s place. Luckily enough, we could cancel and then we decided to spend the day in Sarasota looking around.
We went to St Armand’s Circle and it was really fun. Tons of shops and such. However we didn’t stay very long with the rain. After that we headed to the Sarasota outlets and decided on this place for lunch. When I saw the sign I knew it would be up my alley:
:mrgreen:
There is just one location of the Fast n Fresh. Eric and I could see this restaurant doing SO WELL in Toronto!! They definitely need to expand.
When I walked in there was a sign that said you could customize your own sandwich or salad!!! Ummm…basically a vegan’s dream! How cool is that?
I was all business as I decided on my wrap. ;)
Eric got a Chicken Ceasar Wrap!
I got a veggie wrap. I deemed this the vacation of wraps. I just can’t get enough of them! Wraps are such a great way to pack in a ton of veggie servings.
Amazingly I ate every last bite ;)
Then we hit a few shops…My eyes bugged out of my head and I screamed when I saw this store called Fit 2 Run- The Runner’s Superstore. A runner’s superstore!?!? I left Eric in the dust and sprinted to the entrance. ;)
Not only do they have a treadmill to test your gait with various sneakers on, but they have an indoor track to run on!
As you may know, I have had a terrible time with blisters ever since I started running. No one has ever been able to figure out why or fix the issues (even my foot doctor who made me custom orthotics!). I decided to have my gait analyzed and see if I was truly the severe overpronator that I thought I was. Well, it turned out that I am only a mild pronator and the Brooks I was wearing for the past two years were for severe pronation! Doh.
Additionally, the sales person said that I have very tiny ankle bones and narrow feet and I should have been running in narrow width all this time! This could be why I get blisters a lot because my heel slips around.
After trying and running on many pairs, these BROOKS Adrenaline GTS 10’s were the PERFECT fit! I have high hopes for these babies.
You know how they say when you try on the right wedding dress, you will just know? Well as soon as I tried these on (in narrow width) I finally felt like they were ‘the one’. They felt great and hugged my heel like a warm embrace. :mrgreen:
I also picked up a pair of my favourite running shorts:
And blister socks that the saleslady swears by (she is a marathoner)
They are sooooo comfy. I saved a ton of money by shopping in this store, so it was a win win situation all around! If you are ever in the Sarasota, Wellington, or Tampa area I highly suggest you check out this amazing store!
By the way, have you guys seen these new Five Fingers running ‘shoes’??? Apparently they are all the rage…
After the outlets we headed back to my mom and John’s place. By this point we had driven 6 hours yesterday and we were ready to relax and unpack out suitcase.
We had a quick and easy dinner:
Salad with tomatoes, mary’s crackers, and red wine vinegar:
Butternut squash:
Hummus with toast:
Some type of orange…not sure what kind it was, but it tasted like a cross between an orange and a grapefruit. Pure love!
It is still raining here so we are going to hit up some of the outlets in Naples today and I am going back to SUPER TARGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yes. It will be off the hook.
My Approach To Exercise While On Vacation
I haven’t had any formal exercise for the past couple days, but I hope to run in my new sneakers later today when the rain stops.
My approach to exercise on vacation is to exercise when you can fit it in, but don’t stress when you can’t.
I also like to try new forms of exercise. We swam a lot at the beach and also in the hotel pool a couple times last week. We also have done a ton of walking, so even if I don’t get in formal exercise I know that I am being active.
Last week, I was able to fit in really strong workouts each day because I knew that there would be a few days of really early mornings with little sleep when I would not be able to fit a workout in. I love to workout while on vacation because it just makes me feel so good and I feel like something is missing when I can’t get in a good sweat to start the day.
What is your approach to exercise while on vacation? Do you take a break, try new things, or stick to your regular routine?
I love Brooks! FYI, I just bought the Adrenaline GTS 9 on clearance from an online retailer 2 weeks ago. At about Jan/Feb, the new models come in and the old ones get discounted to clear. You can save probably 40% off last year’s models with a little searching. Helps to keep the shoe costs in check if you replace your shoes every year like I do. I’m not a marathon runner, so I only need 1 pair a year.
i love being able to exercise on vacation, but what essentially always happens is we end up walking everywhere. this is great because we get to see the sights and stay active, however, due to my past with disordered eating i always feel like i haven’t done enough. but i suppose at least i’m doing that much!
What a cool looking running store!!
As for vacations…I always exercise on vacation. My routine doesn’t change just because I’m somewhere other than my home. I’m pretty active and so I like to do hikes and stuff when I visit new places.
Last time I went to Vegas, I used the casino gym one morning and then the next day I went for a run. It was cool to run in Vegas (it was AM and cool out) and see things I wouldn’t normally see.
:)
just bought those same brooks running shoes. i had been wearing inappropriate shoes and in the past weeks noticed more pain. bought the brooks a week ago and my pain has already dropped dramatically. in.love.with.them!
It really depends for me. If I’m not doing a lot of touristy stuff/walking around, I try to hit the gym in the morning or go for a run. But that doesn’t usually work out half the time! Too many other distractions on vacation! I think its ok to take a break, as long as thats what makes you happy.
And about those five finger shoes–did you try them? are they comfy??
I try to exercise! SO I can indulge a little :)
Sara
Your vacation looks fantastic. Exactly the type of holiday I would love. I think I’ve talked my husband into taking a Florida road trip next year. I might copy yours :).
I was just on vacation last week on a field trip in New Mexico. I didn’t stress too much about working out, because there was some walking and hiking during the trip. I did get up a little early every morning to do 30-40 minutes of yoga. My body deserved some good stretching and a gentle workout. I tend to have hard workouts and not take many breaks while I am home. So I think vacations have become a nice break for my body, too. Since I am being gentler on my mind during a vacation, I might as well treat my body the same way!
Isn’t Fit 2 Run great? That’s a nice little mall so close to me, but you missed the Ellenton Outlets. Hopefully, you’re getting to the outlets in Estero while you’re in Naples. We book our hotels, cruises, based on the quality of the exercise facilities. We won’t book something that doesn’t have what we need since we can’t always depend on the weather (when I’m in Minnesota) for running outside. We check out the hotel website, call to verify, and our cruises are on Princess which has fabulous gyms on the larger ships.
Hi Ange,
This is kind of a personal question, but I was wondering if Eric ever gets upset and bothered by the fact that you are a vegan? I am also a vegan, and my husband tells me it’s a form of an eating disorder. If I didn’t eat crackers because they weren’t “vegan” I would get a lot of crap from him. Does eric like your vegan lifestyle?
Thats a really good question and I know other vegans who get a lot of comments from people in their lives. I am really lucky in that Eric is super supportive of the vegan lifestyle. He actually has a lot of respect for vegans…he’s told me that he admires anyone who can make so many sacrifices. It would be really hard if he didnt support me…so I can imagine how you feel.
I usually take a break from formal workouts while on vacation, but I am always active. It is just part of our lifestyle and vacation is the perfect time to fit in some fun activities that move your body. People who stress about workouts on vacation confuse me. LOL
And that wrap looks soooo good!
I have seen those running shoes with the toes – I think they’re so cute! Nerdy, but cute :)
I agree with you on vacation exercise, yep!
I try new things for sure! I love exercising on vacation- it makes me excited! ;)
The wraps look wonderful. I try to exercise regularly when on vacation, but don’t stress if I can’t. I actually enjoy checking out and using hotel gyms.
I love going on morning runs when I’m visiting different places. It’s such an awesome way to explore. My favorite runs while traveling have been in Hyde Park, London and Pebble Beach, CA. I always find that I can go longer because I want to see more of the area, and it gives me energy for the rest of the day!
I love Vibrams and the book Born to Run! They’ve both changed the way I run physically and mentally. I met Scott Jurek, an awesome vegan ultra-marathoner(who is featured in Born to Run) a couple weeks ago and he is so cool!!
I also want to try the Nike Free shoe to see if I can keep my great new stride in a light shoe opposed to the vibrams as an every day workout shoe.
Whoa. I just saw this comment!! I run with VFF’s and am over 1/2 way thru born to run. I can’t believe you MET Scott!!! I didn’t know he was Vegan..ah-mazing! Yes, I also want to try the Nike shoes. I agree on the physical and mental changes…it has been amazing…off to your blog now :)
Wow! I would go crazy in that running store. I’ve never seen a store that large devoted to just running. Awesome!
As far as working out on vacation…I try to stick to my regular routine (plus or minus a few miles). Running in a new place is one of my favorite parts of going on vacation!
That running store looks awesome! I wish I had one like that nearby!
My sister has a pair of those “5 finger” running shoes…she says that they are actually quite comfortable!
I just bought running shoes for the first time and I bought the SAME pair you just did. I’ve run in them about 6 times and I love them.
I always intend on exercising while on vacation, but it’s rare that I do! I don’t stress about it, though! Unless it’s going to be a long-ish vacation, say two weeks or longers, I probably wouldn’t stress over exercise! :-D