Healthy Road Meals and a Run

Good morning, world! I’d like to say it’s a great day, but watching CNN coverage of the government shutdown is making me question that. But this blog is no place for politics! We only discuss happy things here. 🙂

Yesterday was a super chill work day. I visited two high schools and headed back to my hotel before 4:00. During lunch, I had about 2 hours to kill so I did what any admission rep would do: Panera.

Panera had some new stuff on the menu so I ordered their Turkey Harvest Wheatberry salad and Autumn Squash Soup. I approve both of these options!

The squash soup was especially good! I loved how creamy and rich it was. I need to figure out how to duplicate this at home. I normally try to avoid the giant hunk of bread that comes with a Panera meal, but I ate every bite yesterday!

Once I got back to my hotel after my second visit, I had a snack of honeycrisp apple slices with maple almond butter.

Think about that for a second. Maple. Almond. Butter. Holy cow, it’s so good and I can’t believe I’d never had it before yesterday!

My afternoon snack gave me a little boost and I wanted to do something active. Even though I had my elliptical session in the morning, I was itching for a run. The hotel clerk told me that there was an entrance to the Washington & Old Dominion Regional Park (W&OD) trail literally right next to the hotel. Apparently, this trail is called the skinniest park in Virginia and spans 45 miles. Well, don’t mind if I do!

Awkward selfie, in case you want to know just what I look like before a run. One of these days I’ll be brave enough to post an ‘after’ picture.

I headed out and complete 3.25 miles on the trail.

Not too shabby after a long day! I’m pretty sure mile 2 was when I saw  the deer on the trail and tried to take a picture (it didn’t work out), but I felt pretty good with my pace.

My favorite thing about the W&OD trail is that there are stops all along the way for stretching, water fountains, and resting. Super handy if you were doing longer distances!

Once back at the hotel, I hit up the free Manager’s Reception. Have I mentioned how much I love Residence Inn? Not only do they have free breakfast, but they have free dinner most weeknights, complete with beer and wine. I’m definitely a fan!

Last night was taco night so they had all the fixings set up. Instead of making tacos, I decided to do a taco salad so I piled on lettuce, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes, and salsa. I also added in some cheese and sour cream for extra flavor. I grabbed a couple tortilla chips to crumble on top for a little crunch.

So good! The free wine, however, was not my favorite. Luckily, they sell these adorable little half-bottles of wine so I could relax with some wine in my room.

This morning I got in a quick 30-minute workout in the hotel gym. 25 minutes on the elliptical and some stretching. I’m still sniffling so trying not to overdo it. That and my hotel’s gym is really bare and I was too tired to get creative. Breakfast was the same as yesterday- cereal topped with fruit and walnuts.

Today’s going to be a long one. I’ve got 3 high school visits, then a college fair tonight. I’ll be spending a lot of time in my car, but tomorrow I’m going home!

Hope you all have a great day today!

What’s your favorite hotel brand?

Have you tried maple almond butter?