• Recipes
    • Search my Recipes
    • Recipe Categories
  • Lifestyle
  • Fitness
  • Nutrition
  • |
  • About
  • Work With Me
    • Brand partnerships
    • Nutrition Coaching

Home » Fitness » Running

February 1, 2016 (Updated February 6, 2023)

Weekend Adventures

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

17 comments
share this post:
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Email

Hello my friends! What a difference a week makes in terms of weather – last weekend it was blizzarding, and this weekend it was sunny and warm (ish – felt warm to us anyway!). So weird – but awesome!

capital crescent trail

Want to save this post?

Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you great content every week!

Save Recipe

On Saturday morning, I met up with my friend Kathleen for a flexibility and strength workshop at Urban Athletic Club. It was really cool, but we thought it was going to be a workout, and after it was over, we were itching for some endorphins and some fresh air and decided to do a spur of the moment run. The Capital Crescent Trail is nice and clear of snow – perfect.

IMG_0343

We weren’t planning to run so I didn’t have my watch (or proper running shoes, but I made it work), but I think we ended up covering 4 or 5 miles at a good clip. We were both so happy to be out getting some fresh air after being cooped up most of the week! And yes, I was running in a tank top and it felt AMAZING.

After our run, we walked over to our standard sweaty fave, Le Pain Quotidien, for brunch. I went for my usual – the mushroom and goat cheese omelette – with some unpictured bread that we had them bring first because we were starved. 🙂

le pain quotidien brunch

On Sunday morning, I had a fun adventure planned with my college friend Sarah! One of her friends is engaged to a personal trainer named Paul Medina, who owns his own in-home training company in DC called Capital Energy Training. Sarah won a free training session with him via his Facebook page and thought it would be fun if I joined in and wrote about the experience. Sign me up!

Since Paul travels to clients homes/offices/gyms for his training sessions, we decided to meet at my place and use our basement for the session. I had no idea what to expect, but I was excited because I’ve been looking for a good trainer in DC/NoVA/MD to refer my nutrition clients to who ask me for trainer recommendations! Love that he comes to you – makes it so much easier. He brings all the equipment you’ll need, too!

When Paul found out Sarah and I are both runners, he turned the session into a great functional movement/mobility session, which I loved. I know I should do more mobility work but I never want to take up the small amount of time I have to fit in a workout to do mobility stretches, so I liked that he incorporated them as part of our workout rather than as a separate thing – so efficient!

dc in home personal trainer

Right away, Paul noticed that both of us had tight hips and did some interesting exercises that had us stretching and strengthening those muscles in particular. As he described functional exercise, it’s like taking a word apart and putting it back together – you have to learn how to pronounce each letter before you can pronounce the whole word. It’s the same with the body – breaking down the body step by step and making sure each part is solid before putting it all back together.

He explained that most people have a weak gluteus minus, tight hips, and a tight lower back which can translate into injury eventually. Uh, yep, that’s me.

northern virginia at home personal trainer

We spent the hour doing a mix of stretches and body weight exercises to target some of those regions. This stretch felt AMAZING.

tight hip stretch

It wasn’t a cardio/heart pumping workout (although he says he offers that sort of training, too) but a lot of the strength moves were hard since we had to hold them for quite awhile. We definitely felt the burn!

capital energy training

I’ve been having some tightness/soreness in my right hip and right lower back for quite awhile now that I’ve stupidly been ignoring, so Paul and I are going to continue to work together once per week to see if we can get that situation improved. I’ll highlight one of the specific exercises that we do each week here on the blog in case you’d like to try some of them yourself at home!

If you’re in DC and are looking for a great trainer that will come to you, check out Capital Energy Training! I was really impressed with Paul’s professionalism, knowledge, and attention to detail. While I’d definitely recommend him to runners looking to improve mobility and strength and reduce injury risk, he’d be a good fit for anyone looking to improve their strength/fitness – his clients range greatly in their goals, ability levels, and ages.

As a thank you to Sarah for including me in the training fun, I invited her to stay and have breakfast with me and Matt afterwards!

easy breakfast for crowd

I decided to throw together a veggie egg scramble for us and started by sautéing some green pepper in a pan with a little oil.

how to saute green pepper

A couple minutes later I threw in a huge handful of greens to wilt down.

how to wilt greens in a pan

Once the veggies were soft I poured in 6 eggs (that I whisked in a bowl with some salt and pepper) and stirred/scraped the pan until the eggs were mostly cooked, then enlisted Matt to throw some grated sharp cheddar on top.

cheesy veggie egg scramble

Et voila! Topped with some avocado and served with a side of orange slices and pumpkin bread. 🙂

easy healthy breakfast for guests

The pumpkin bread came from Relay Foods (<– my affiliate link for $30 off your first order with them – they are an awesome online grocery store) – I ordered a bunch of pantry staples and some other unique sounding local items last week including that bread, just for fun. Yum!

relay foods pumpkin bread

After breakfast, Matt and I said farewell to Sarah and headed over to Great Falls Park (the Maryland side) for a hike with a big group of friends!

great falls snow hike

We were hoping to do the Billy Goat Trail but it was unfortunately still closed due to snow melt/flooding, so we ended up just doing a hike along the canal. It was still nice – SUCH a beautiful day – almost 60 degrees?!

hiking great falls park in the snow

We ended up stopping for an al fresco beer at the Old Angler’s Inn, because the trail we were on dead-ended right across from their parking lot. Don’t mind if we do!

old anglers inn

It’s kind of fancy inside but it was nice enough to enjoy the patio – perfect.

blue moon after a hike

Such a fun way to spend the day! We ended up grabbing dinner – burgers and sweet potato fries, my favorite post-hiking food – afterwards with a smaller crew. Hit the spot.

It’s lovely out again today – I have some AnneTheRD client meetings around Virginia so I’m working from home and looking forward to a walking break later. 🙂

Have a great day, my friends – and happy week 2 of the Winter Shape Up! Don’t forget to check in over on my week 2 meal plan page and Gina’s week 2 workout page to be entered to win the giveaways from this week’s sponsors!

Did anyone else enjoy a nice weather weekend?

- anne
share this post:
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Email

join the list

Sign up for my e-newsletter and I'll send you a meal plan packed with a week's worth of healthy meals, snacks and a shopping list. Happy eating!

you might also like:

6 Mile Fun Run

Hitting the Ground Running

Weekend Adventures

Kicking off Friday on the Right Foot

leave a comment

Cancel reply

17 comments
  • Ash Diamond
    February 1, 2016 · 11:35AM:
    I love the way you guys hike so often! How far is it? That is definitely an activity Bo and I should add for the Spring!
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 1, 2016 · 2:56PM:
      Great Falls is only about 20 minutes from DC - super close!
      Reply
  • [email protected]
    February 1, 2016 · 1:18PM:
    The weather was so much warmer over the weekend, I joked it felt like summer! I was finally able to run outside Sunday and was so happy. How do you get over to the CCT? I'm hoping to do my long run on the Mt. Vernon trail Saturday, but I need a back-up plan just in case (and I can't do another long run on the treadmill or I will cry!). Also, Le Pain Q is so yum!
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 1, 2016 · 2:56PM:
      You can access the CCT in Georgetown -- under the Key Bridge!
      Reply
  • Katie @ Adultingdaily
    February 1, 2016 · 1:40PM:
    We had really nice weather down in Nashville too! Went on a hike on Sunday and the weather was perfect! Hoping the warmer temps stick around.
    Reply
  • Shel@PeachyPalate
    February 1, 2016 · 3:40PM:
    Brunch looks lovely!!! So pretty! I'm all about eggs at the moment, no amount seems to satisfy my craving!
    Reply
  • Cassie
    February 1, 2016 · 5:06PM:
    Yes! We had crazy weather here too. And warm these past few days.
    Reply
  • Erin @ Her Heartland Soul
    February 1, 2016 · 9:21PM:
    I love your friend's sunglasses!
    Reply
  • Jill @ Champagne for Everyday
    February 1, 2016 · 10:09PM:
    Love these pictures! Beautiful. The Angler's Inn looks like the coziest place in the world. Also - loving the advice from Paul concerning lower back and hips. These are definitely often-neglected areas. Great post - thanks for sharing!
    Reply
  • Roadrunner February 2, 2016 · 7:05AM:
    Good to see the snow melting and the running resume! Look forward to more on the work with the trainer.
    Reply
  • Arthi
    February 2, 2016 · 9:52AM:
    Are all the trails cleared in the area? I'll be in D.C. for the week and loved running Mount Vernon! Hoping I can get outside for a few runs!
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 2, 2016 · 10:57AM:
      Most of the running trails seem to be clear by now! Just keep an eye out for black ice if it's early morning - lots of snow melt run off is making some areas icy.
      Reply
      • Arthi
        February 2, 2016 · 12:00PM:
        Awesome. Thank you!!
        Reply
  • chiara February 2, 2016 · 10:52PM:
    You should try Bayou for brunch, I go to the close to Eastern Market but I believe there is one in NoVa as well. Their beignets and biscuits are to die for!!!
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 3, 2016 · 10:04AM:
      I've had their biscuit egg sandwiches before - very tasty!
      Reply
  • adrianna February 6, 2016 · 10:06AM:
    does that guy travel to Chicago? ;) I'm excited to see how your time with him works out, and if it helps the hips/back. I feel the same thing and am lazy in terms of taking care of it. btw, he's hot!
    Reply
- next post
previous post -

about Anne

anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
Learn more

fannetastic reads

Top Posts
01

My Top 9 Most Popular Recipes + Posts

02

Why I Don’t Recommend Whole30

03

What Causes Sugar Cravings (+ How to Stop Them!)

04

How I Make Money As a Blogger

05

Blog Recipes We Make Again and Again

06

What to Eat Before and After a Long Run

07

What to Eat During Long Runs

08

7 Common Nutrition Myths

09

How to Love Veggies

connect with Anne

Email me
anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

When I’m not writing or cooking for fannetastic food, you can find me running, coaching nutrition clients, or on an adventure with my family. Feel free to reach out - I'd love to hear from you!

follow anne:

join the list

Sign up for my e-newsletter and I'll send you a meal plan packed with a week's worth of healthy meals, snacks and a shopping list. Happy eating!

back to top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Recent Posts
  • Privacy Policy
  • FAQ

© copyright fannetastic food