I’m a lover. I love helping others. But…I’m also a fighter. I will fight tooth and nail to not give in to particular things. I ended up giving in today on some of those particular things. I guess waking up at 1 am will shatter will power. Yes. You read that right. I woke up at 1 am. Not I woke up and fell back asleep an hour later. No. I tossed and turned for an hour and a half before finally giving in to chilling on the couch by myself in the wee hours of the morning.

I even decided to head to the gym for when it opened at 5 am because I figured a dose of endorphins couldn’t hurt. I ran three miles on the treadmill and almost instantly felt more energetic. Then, I came home and got going with my day…when I suddenly realized the fatigued body was now a fatigued, achy body. My inner thighs, around my knees, and my IT band seriously needed some rolling pin action.

After rolling pin rolling (is that what you would call it??) while reading to Makenzie, I determined we needed new library books . So, we packed up and headed to the library for the morning. I had another motive as well. A pit stop by the grocery store to use a $1 off Kashi coupon while Kashi cereal was on sale at Kroger lead to this…

I gave in to the $12 bag of xanthan gum. I told you. Diminished sleep = diminished willpower. I always want to buy the special powder others swear by to help make thicker, creamier smoothies but stop myself because of the price. Of course, I had to try it out to determine whether I should rejoice or glare you all down for lying to me all this time.

Shake consumed after giving in to a long, much needed nap. Thank heavens!

I added vanilla almond milk, a frozen banana, a spoonful of peanut butter, a pinch of xantahn gum, and 1/2 a serving of vanilla protein powder to the blender to whirl into creamy oblivion.

It works. Creamy, thick, shake-like consistency achieved. I tried to capture the better texture on camera but I’m not so talented.

And the shake’s taste? Ohmygoshsogood!!!! I have wanted to pick up some protein powder to add to my shakes for awhile since I usually enjoy my shakes post-workout. The extra protein makes a good option for post-workout fuel. Then, Power GY came to the rescue offering me to review some of their whey protein powder geared for workout recovery.

I like that the product has less ingredients than other powders I have seen, but still has similar statistics with 110 calories, 26 grams of protein and no sugar – just sweetened with stevia. I appreciate that it blends up smoothly with no grit and has a smooth vanilla taste most of all. Not kidding when I say ohmygoshsogood!

My will power would have succumbed to ordering myself a full container had I not ended up giving in to something else.

I now have an iPhone. I kept fighting the smartphone, but here we are. I knew I would give in eventually. Now…HELP ME!!!

• What are your favorite apps? Especially for things like social media (anything special for Twitter/Google Reader/etc?), practical stuff (like weather/music?), or other fun. Clue a girl in!
• What’s something you thought you would never give in to trying or using but eventually did? A food item? A workout? A big purchase? A popular trend?

After my recent two eventful runs – bug attacks and lost keys – I determinedly set out for an uneventful run this morning. For my seven mile long run of the week I visited the running trail (to avoid the bugs - which is ironic, huh?), wore my Spibelt (to avoid key fiascos), and had my music all charged up. Talk about a feat for me!

I even stopped my belly aching and got myself up earlier in the morning to eat my standard pre-run fuel so I could be out the door by 7:30 am.

Is there anything quite as delicious as the peanut butter and jelly combo? Wait. Hold that thought. There is. Peanut butter and chocolate. What were we talking about again? Oh! My run! Although peanut butter and chocolate would certainly a great conversation make.

With all the components aligned properly, I did in fact manage to have an uneventful, calming, and good long run for the week.

7 miles. Average 9:20 pace. Check week # 3 off the training plan! 

I celebrated with my still cold drink awaiting me for when I got back to my car!

Under Armour has joined forces with Thermos for a stainless steel water bottle (they call it hydration bottle, but I’m not quite so fancy). Friends joke that I always have a water bottle attached to my hip because its true. I love having water with me. But my water has to be cold. I can’t do lukewarm water. Blech. Apparently that’s a good thing, because according to some studies cold water helps keep core temperature down so athletes (or fitness freaks like myself) can keep up performance.

I don’t know if cold water really affected my performance this past week, but I will say I love the bottle.

It does keep my water really cold for a long time. It also lives up to another important standard of mine – large enough to hold a decent amount so I’m not constantly refilling the thing but still fits into cup holders in my car and in my strollers.

Don’t laugh. That is quite important and the biggest issue I have had with most quality water bottles I find that actually hold more than 2 cups of water without leaking. It’s a big deal to me. So, thanks Kristin and Thermos and Under Armour for a great product!

• What item do you always have on you?
• Any features you look for in a water bottle?

** I received the Under Armour hydration bottle from Thermos free for review. All opinions expressed are my own.