A Very Merry Musical Monday

It's the most wonderful time of the year... for doing just about anything BUT run outside. Eww. That sharp pain in your ears. The numb, red and dry hands. The feeling in your joints that makes you feel like you're 26 going on 90. Oh, did we not mention yet that we are NOT fans of cold weather running? Well... consider yourselves warned. There will most likely be many the rant over the next few months as we brave the bitter cold months of winter in the District. So long as the sky doesn't dump another "Snowmageddon" on us, hopefully we'll survive. And we have a merry mix of tunes to jump start our holiday spirit and kick our frosty bums into gear. 

This set goes out to you, Santa. We wouldn't be mad if you happened to leave some new Lululemon gear under our tree... Just sayin'....

1. Little Saint Nick - Beach Boys
2. Oh Santa - Mariah Carey
3. Here Comes Santa Claus - Elvis
4. Up on the Housetop - Jackson 5
5. Christmas Tree - Lady Gaga
6. Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry
7. My Only Wish (This Year) - Britney Spears
8. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Darlene Love
9. Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty
10. Baby, All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey (because what Christmas playlist is complete without this one?)
11. Step Into Christmas - Elton John
12. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
13. Little Drummer Boy - Sean Kingston (for a cool-down... need to keep the tunes interesting so we'll actually be motivated to stretch after running)
14. Carol of the Bells - Destiny's Child (still cooling down... and thinking about some spiced cider)
15. A Child is Born - Rihanna (yup... stilllll stretching)
16. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Dean Martin (okay, in the interest of full disclosure, we probably checked out about 4 songs ago and we're now curled up by the fire with gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate. it's possible that we got a little overly festive. put us on the naughty list for now, but we'll be back in full force tomorrow!)

And just for fun because I'm headed to this concert on Saturday...

1. We Want the Funk - George Clinton
2. Atomic Dog - George Clinton

lylas,

Foodie Friday: “For those who love breakfast”

Today's Foodie Friday is a little unconventional; it's a restaurant review y'all! There hasn't been too much cooking going on in the Footsy households lately with last week being Thanksgiving and our travel schedules and this week being, well, recovering from Thanksgiving.

Whenever we migrate South to B'ham, we obviously have to plan our schedules around all of our favorite places to eat at home that we miss. So naturally, when one of our besties's and her husband (Ashley and Steven) opened a restaurant in our hometown, it was a priority to check it out. Imagine the feel of small town diner, but with a retro-modern flare, and you've got Over Easy.

I went with my mom Wednesday morning AFTER my run (so that I could eat more). For someone who is indecisive to an annoying fault [sidenote: sal can attest to the "annoying" part], the menu had way too many amazing looking items to choose from. So in typical Liv fashion, I narrowed it down to my top two choices and deferred the decision to Steven.  

First, let's describe for you these two options and you'll understand why such a decision was so laborious:

Italian Eggs Benedict – a poached egg with crispy prosciutto and house made pesto (made lovingly by Steven himself ever morning) served on a polenta cake

-OR-

The "Easy Does It" - a three egg omelette with spinach, sautéed mushrooms, goat cheese, and basil pesto

Exhibit A

See – hard decision. Steven indicated that the Italian Eggs Benedict was his own personal creation so I went with that. [Plus I'm like 1/8 Italian – so duh]. Oooo emmm gee! When the plate was delivered, you could smell the freshly made pesto - it was scrumptious. 

My mom ordered some "fluffy stuff," their oh-so-cute name for the pancakes and French toast deliciousness. I can attest to the fluffiness because I may or may not have polished off tasted hers. Rhonda (that's my mom) cannot go to any breakfast place (at least a place that just opened) without sampling their biscuits and gravy. So she ordered some – and it too was yummy.

Sal hit it up on Friday morning with her parents and had the Heuvos Rancheros. Description: two crispy flour tortillas, scrambled eggs, bell peppers, onions, diced tomatoes, Monterey jack, jalapeno peppers and chorizo sausage, topped with sour cream and spicy salsa! And word to the wise – it ain't for the faint palette. It packed quite a punch of spiciness – but was unbelievably tasty.

Ash + Steve-o

But don't worry – just because WE may not have ordered the healthiest of options, there is a whole section of the menu dedicated to the health conscious. Oh! And we must not forget to mention the coffee... it's basically a custom brew they concocted with Royal Cup. And soon you'll be able to bring the Over Easy coffee to your breakfast table, complete with their signature cute yellow packaging, designed (of course) by our extremely talented friend, Ash – she cooked up all of their graphics, helped Steven select the decor and designed the amazingly creative and eye-catching sign on the front of the restaurant. 

So for our first Footsy restaurant review we give Over Easy two big toes ways up! And we're super proud of our friends Ashley and Steven, for opening such a fine establishment. We look forward to many returns and can't wait to go back when the weather is a little nicer so we can sit outside on the patio with a perfect cup of joe after a morning run. Also, we're both eyeing the 'Bama style pimento cheese for lunch (pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes, and arugula on toasted sourdough bread)! So if you're ever I the 'ham (like maybe for the Mercedes Marathon?) – you should take yourself to Over Easy, open every day but Mondays for breakfast and lunch!

lylas,

Footsy Friends: Guest Blogger Tess

Introducing our ever-fabulous and exceptionally eccentric hot yogi of a friend, Tess. Though she recently ditched us in the District for the bright lights of D-Town, Tess is that friend that's always up for a challenge or adventure and can make you laugh in a second (particularly when dressed in her weekend uniform of a bright orange Texas sweat suit with some statically-stuck socks on her bum and UGGs in the middle of summer). She's also that friend that will screen your calls for 3 months and then pop up out of nowhere and offer to guest blog. That's why we love her (well that, and because of her slightly alarming passion for ketchup). And now, you will love her too…

Greetings fellow pavement pounders! Allow me to introduce myself as the first ever guest blogger to penetrate the pages of Shoes Full of Feet. A little about me- I'll be brief so as not to bore: I'm a 26-year young native Texan living in Dallas- working, figuring things out and have recently been adhering to the mantra "keep calm, carry on." I have found the latter to be a bit easier than the former, but I'm halfway there, right?

As far as my running classification, I would consider myself an emotional runner (hmmm). My relationship with running (because as you will see it most certainly is a relationship) has been pretty consistent over the last 10 years, but rocky at times. I find myself running when I am mad, sad, happy, stressed and bored. I have always used running as a quick fix to satiate one or a few of the aforementioned feelings. When Sal + Liv informed me that they had decided to start running and were planning to supplement their training with an awesome blog, I was admittedly… jealous (what!?). While I have been running all of my life, I've never let myself fall in love with it for fear of having to take my running relationship to the next level. I have never given running a chance to change my life, or at least enrich it… until now. With that I ask beg for a second chance.

WARNING- CONTENT BELOW MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR SERIOUS RUNNERS: 

Twas' the night before the Turkey Trot… and well… my anxiety was stirring, A LOT. I had not run in quite some time and had not prepared in a way that I normally would. I woke up @ 6 am, threw on an oversized T and running pants, and went to Starbucks did a jumping jack or two in the driveway. I had not preregistered for the 10K and was met by long, long lines upon arrival. Luckily, I made it in just enough time to line up and take off. My total time was 59:08:02, and while I did not stop unless you count some suspect lingering at the water station, it was not pretty. My lack of preparation came through before, during and after the race. BUT with every accomplishment comes a lesson learned. If I am going to gear up for this marathon, I need to get serious. Until next time, here is what I am listening to... on repeat.

Sneaks off to Liv + Sal… see you in DC!

Meet Crockett too aka Tess' BFF 

Doughnut Dilemma

My bro (a different bro this time) just signed up for the Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, and frankly, I'm just now sure how I feel about this. Growing up, I used to pride myself on being able to take down a dozen original glazed doughnuts in one sitting. Thankfully (for the sake of my insides), that is a talent I no longer possess, though I still have an extremely strong passion for Krispy Kreme. Anyway, back to the challenge...

The Concept

Each runner runs 2 miles to the Krispy Kreme store located on Peace St. in Raleigh. After downing A FULL DOZEN of the famous Krispy Kreme doughnuts (coffee optional), the runner must run the 2 miles back. All in one hour. 

There are a couple of different competition levels: the Challenger is required to run the full race and chomp down on (and keep down) all 12 doughnuts. The Casual Runner is not required to eat a dozen, can run or walk and doesn't exactly have to keep 'em down either (oh, that poor race clean-up crew). 

Major props for coming up with an original concept that no doubt enables some major camaraderie (perhaps too much?) among racers. And love that all proceeds benefit the NC Children's Hospital. BUT I can't help but feel conflicted about this concept, no matter how much I love Krispy Kreme. 

The calorie count for one dozen Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnuts is 2400, 1200 of which are calories from fat (36 grams saturated, 0 grams trans). Everyone burns calories differently, but the average # of calories burned running 4 miles in an hour is around 400 - 500 calories. So basically, if you don't eat another thing all day long, you can still net out around 2000 calories - the average # of calories upon which most nutrition facts are based (even though, that # completely depends on individuals' metabolic rate). Obviously, that will not be the only thing racers eat that day though, so... yeah (eww). 

Even so, it's not like this is something participants will be doing on a daily basis (at least I hope not). And my hunch is that, anyone who signs up for the Krispy Kreme Challenge is probably already leading a pretty active lifestyle - it takes a special type of athlete to find the excitement in potentially losing your insides in front of thousands of other runners. 

So, will I be joining my bro at the starting line? Not likely. I think it would be a step backwards (or at least sideways) for the ol' pre-training training. But then again, did I mention how much I love Krispy Kreme?? I'm still torn. But registration is now open for anyone else that is intrigued/hungry/into self-inflicted pain and self-loathing.

Source: http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/09/krispy-kreme-doughnut-challenge/