Change of plans!!

Now, I know originally I said I was going to run my 1/2 marathon on March 26th. But plans have changed... After talking to it over with Jay, I have opted to run here:

photo courtesy of Mountain Man Events

Make your old teachers proud, and tell me you know where this is. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I would be able to confidently say where this was if it wasn't on the race website...

i am a little embarrassed.

I will be running the SIX TUNNELS to HOOVER DAM Half Marathon on March 12th!

I am supposed to wear GREEN. I think I need to go shopping... So glad I live 1 mile for the Nike outlet. Jealous? muahhhaa :) This is why I am obsessed with Nike.

I am very excited, but am already feeling butterflies in my stomach. Please tell me these will not last for the next two weeks!

I kept putting off signing up for it on Saturday - even though Jay kept reminding me. * we didn't want to it sell out cause the website says it can * I just always like having an "out," (I know that is bad!) but this baby is non-refundable. Plus the fact that I have to drive 10 hours to get there complicates things a little. * Eating junk food in the car for 10 hours, then shopping for two full days, and trying to get two toddlers to sleep in a new place are probably not the best pre-race activities. YIKES! I am freaking out again!* Hopefully the lure of Vegas buffets won't ruin my race experience!

OK - back to the story - so when I checked my email late Saturday night I had a confirmation email in my inbox. DONE! I was signed up and couldn't turn back. I was so glad he did it for me! I needed him to sign me up, cause my palms got sweaty everytime I started filling out the registration. This is my first Half and I am nervous!

Let the countdown begin. They say I will see some of these on my run:

photo courtesy of Mountain Man Events
That would be sweet. I would like to race one of them. Scratch that - I think they would demolish me. Even better, maybe I could ride on one of their backs for my last 1/2 mile. I am sure I will be ready to rest!

photo courtesy of Mountain Man Events
I am really hoping to strike this pose at some point during my run. I would be willing to give up a little of my stored energy to leap like a praying mantis mid stride, and have it caught on camera!

Less than 13 days and counting.

Keeping it simple

Tuesday - 4.5 mile run

Thursday - 7.69 miles run (family run - WOOT!)

I was inspired by this HungryRunnerGirl post the other day. It really got me thinking. I haven't been enjoying my runs lately. In fact, I have found myself dreading them on many days....ugh! I was starting to wonder if running had just "run its course" (excuse the play on words!) with me. I wondered if it was just getting old to me. My love for running felt like it was fading. And that made me sad. But Janae's post really resonated with me.

Granted, I am only training for a HALF marathon, the strict training schedule was getting to me. I have always been running for enjoyment and health, so I would just get out there and run as far as I could. And it was FUN! So this week I have just been running at MY pace. I have been running as far as I want to, not what my schedule says. And it feels GOOD. No, FANTASTIC! Tonight's run was the best in a LONG time. I found myself singing along to my music again, smiling, and not counting DOWN the miles I had to go, but wishing I had time to ADD another mile or 4 :) I think I am finding my stride again with running.

I am glad I have found myself through running again.

It is good to be back.

Pulled Pork Salad

One of my most favorite restaurants is Costa Vida. I LOVE to get their Mango Chicken, Sweet Pulled Pork, OR Fajita Steak Salad (new fave). They are all to die for. After my 10 miler on Saturday I ate the WHOLE thing, whole wheat tortilla and all and was still hungry. And this is a BIG salad!

I have tried several recipes to mimic their amazing salad. I have never been able to find a recipe as delicious as theirs, last night may not have been identical to theirs, BUT last night was FAB-U-LOUS.

Do yourself a favor and eat it soon!

Pulled Pork Salad

Pork Roast 3-5lbs
16 oz Pace salsa
1 cup brown sugar

Mix salsa and brown sugar together. Set crockpot on low and stick roast in and pour the salsa mixture over the top. Let cook on LOW for 18 hours.. YES you read that right! 18HOURS! If you can't let it go that long, just let it go as long as you can. It makes it super tender. Make sure to check it is not burning. If it seems to be, add in some water to get things moist again.

For the salad put a whole wheat tortilla in the bottom ( I like la tortilla factory) and put some cilantro lime rice on the bottom (or even just cook your rice with some taco seasoning) then add black beans or pinto beans on top - as many as you want! Top with romaine lettuce, pork, mango salsa and cilantro! Mix the mango salsa around all over the salad to soak in the flavors.

Eat this soon....PLEASE. Then freeze the leftovers for another meal. That is one of my favorite parts :)

Here is what Jay thought about my meal choice...

Does his reaction make you want to make it, or run screaming?

Saturday Out n About

Saturday came, and since I had decided the night before not to run the race I decided I NEEDED to run. I left in the early afternoon while Gator napped.
RUN:
10.4 miles
8:38 pace
Fastest Mile: 7:11 SCORE!
<-insert biggest smile. I would have taken a pic but I get embarrassed asking people to photograph me>

WOOT! I felt good about this. Though I want my total pace to be 8:00, but I think my Nike+ was off on the last mile cause it said is was WAY slow...like 20 minute mile SLOW. And I KNOW for sure that is not the case....I wasn't walking!

So about half way through my run I had to go to the bathroom REAL bad... How do I emphasize this without being gross?....I will just stick with real bad!
But I didn't want to stop anywhere. I just kept running, and hoping that the time would go by faster. I thought about stopping at a friends house but that just sounded awkward to me. I thought about stopping at the gas station, but by the time I would arrive at the gas station I would only have 2 miles left...so I figured I may as well just keep running and wait for the comforts of my own home... Good decision? I don't know! It definitely made for a difficult last 5 miles to say the least!
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What do you do while you run for potty breaks? Do you push through it, or do you just stop?
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This was my first run EVER I have 'fueled' mid-run. But I am trying to do better at fueling my body properly so I tried Jelly Belly Sports beans. I am not sure whether they helped or not. But they definitely tasted good.

Candy+running= AWESOME

I will probably try them a few more times to decide whether they help or not...

What do you use to stay fueled during a run?

I got home and ate a bowl of cottage cheese and blueberries. I knew cottage cheese had a lot of protein, but I had no idea how much! 15g per 1/2 cup... YES, PLEASE!

I used to hate cottage cheese. Something about the curdled texture totally turned me off as a kid... ok, just the word 'curdled' makes me want to vomit. So moving on..

After my protein packed snacked I moved on to my favorite; Nutella Bread:
Have I shared with you yet my love for nutella bread? It is an obsession gone way to far, I think. My day is incomplete without my piece of nutella bread.

I usually have a slice as soon as my kids go down for bed at night. I don't drink alcohol, so I unwind with hazelnuts and chocolate :)

I love going for long runs, cause I feel like that justifies more than one slice of nutella bread in a day. And anything that can help me to eat more delicious things like this are totally welcome in my life.

How was your weekend? Any yummy treats? Any awesome runs?

ps Thursday was 20 minutes elliptical, and 3 miles on the treadmill---boring

Too Many Sweets

Maister's birthday is on the 15th, and with Valentine's Day just the day before, and two birthday parties we are on sugar overload! I am craving some crisp vegetables like never before! Unfortunately we don't have many left after all the events from these past 5 days. I ran a little over 5 miles on Monday, and haven't run since...WOOPS! I did manage to get in some turbo jam and ab work (tiny bit) today though! Hopefully things will get back to normal tomorrow...
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On the lack of running, I have been preoccupied making goodies like these:

YUM! I love these little things...

the inside of the southern coconut cake I made for the actual birthday. I know it isn't the most kid friendly, but it was also for our friend who shares the same birthday and she isn't eating chocolate - which is Maister's favorite flavor! I don't like coconut much, but this cake I liked! I was hoping I wouldn't like it...that way I wouldn't go back for another piece tonight! cocoNUT is really good for you right? I imagine it will make me faster or something... At least that is what I am trying to tell myself.

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I still haven't decided on the race on Saturday. I know it is getting a little late, huh?! I wish I could make up my mind... Jay is feeling stressed at work, and is having to work this weekend (just from home) so I don't want to add any extra stress to his already hectic schedule. Of course he says he will support me if I want to race, I just don't know!
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Every time I think about signing up, I get pre-pre-race jitters. Anyone else get these? It isn't a matter of finishing the race as I know I can run 8 miles just fine, but I just get really nervous!
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Do you get pre-pre-race jitters? If so, what do you do to calm them?

Big Run and Company

Like I said earlier, my sweet Mom is in town. Besides having one my best shopping partners around to hang with me, it also means we have unlimited (almost) babysitting! WOO! This also means I can run basically anytime of day - though I still prefer the morning - and Jay can join me for runs without being slowed down my the jogging stroller.

Here is my cute Mom. This was at Gator's 1st birthday party in October.

I love having my Mom around to chat and shop with :)

So last weekend, I knew I had my 10.2 mile run coming up. I got butterflies in my tummy whenever I thought about it. It would be the furthest I had run since October! **In October I learned a good lesson which was don't go that far when you have not properly trained. I had to rehab my knee for a good month before it felt even remotely normal....grr! I learned at great lesson though!

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We set out on Friday - early evening - for a super romantic sweaty sunset run. Right after we left the house I realized I had forgotten my iPod. AH! I about had a nervous breakdown... My iPod is like my security blanket. I tried to keep my cool cause I didn't want Jay to think I didn't want to talk to him. It was no offense to Jay, I did want to talk with him on the run, but sometimes I just need a song or two to get me back in my groove. I took a deep breath and continued 9 more miles with NO music! I was SO proud of myself :) It is the little things in life...

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We ran on some beautiful trails, and happened to be running over a bridge as the sun began to set. Once I wiped the sweat from my eyes, I was able to enjoy it :) We ran 10.23 miles and got home when it was DARK. It was fabulous. Jay is a bit faster than me, so he helped to push me some and I had the vision of pizza in my head to motivate me to hurry and finish! As soon as we got home we cleaned up (READ: changed clothes and put on deodorant so we didn't stink up the restaurant) then headed over to our favorite little pizza joint to celebrate our cute friends new pregnancy! I loved all the baby talk. It just makes me smile. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera so I couldn't take a picture of the stuffed pizza we had. Just know it was probably the best pizza I have ever tasted!

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Overall, it was great run. I had no reason to be nervous, but I have come a long way from being nervous for my first 4 mile run... so glad 4 miles is a cinch now..

LAST THING: I am thinking about running an 8 mile race this Saturday. It would be the last race before my half marathon next month. I feel like maybe it would help me to feel a little more prepared for my race. But on the same hand it of course costs $$ and I am supposed to run 10 miles this weekend for my training plan...Would you run it? I can't decide and could use some good imput. THANKS!

Motherhood

I am totally craving a run today! But I am trying to stay close to the training schedule, so I will feel fully ready for my 10.2 miler on Saturday. I can hardly wait!
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A good friend of mine posted this on her blog yesterday and I loved it. I could completely relate to this. Before you become a Mom, it is hard to know what to expect. I knew it would be hard, I knew my patience would be tried, and I knew it would be fun! But what I didn't know was just how difficult motherhood would be. OR how wonderful Motherhood would be. I didn't know that I would cry more tears of joy than I thought was possible, or laugh harder than ever before. I wouldn't trade being a mother for anything.



What would you tell yourself if you could go back to before you had kids?

Thanksgiving in February

Monday Workout: 5.02 miles at 8:05 pace
Tueday: 2800+ step including about 20 minutes of weights
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I am taking it easy this week as I am gearing up for a 10 miler on Saturday! I am sso looking forward to it! Jay might even tag along again :)
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Is this picture bringing back fond memories of November?
Every Thanksgiving, one of the things I look forward to the most is the leftovers. I get excited to have dinner already "made" for about a week afterwards, and to have turkey sandwiches day after day. This year we went to my bro in-laws house, and that meant we didn't have any leftovers! I was pretty bummed, and I recenly announced to Jay that I would need to make us a turkey dinner so we could have leftovers galore!
Today was the DAY! Our house smelled soo good all day. I could hardly wait for Jay to get home from work so we could start eating! Here is a little of what we enjoyed:

Homemade rolls

Potatoes and Gravy...mmm

Spinach salad with Creamy basalmic dressing (not exactly tradition, just yummy)

Week 6 Menu

I didn't post this yesterday cause we just had leftovers :) But here is what we will be eating this week!

Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday : Thanksgiving in February! (I will explain in a later post)
Wednesday: Turkey dinner leftovers or Turkey Chili
Thursday: whatever I don't do on Wednesday :)
Friday: Pizza or OUT (My Mom is coming to town!)
Saturday: "fancy" sandwiches - I buy nicer meat and fancy bread and we make a delish sandwich!
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Any fun dinner plans for you this week?

Weekend Fun

This weekend was fantastic! The weather was unbelievable! Blue skies, warm sun, slight breezes. We ate chinese, pizza, watched our team win on Saturday, and really just enjoyed spending time together has a family. That highlight for me was our family run on Saturday afternoon! Jay pushed Maister and Gator in the double stroller, and we ran just a pinch over 8 miles. It is nice to change things up and have some company for a run! Jay showed me some beautiful new trails that I hope we can begin to frequent. Plus we had to run up a nasty hill near the end of our run. It was a doozy! It was a great run, and Jay said he would join me for a run this next week too. SCORE! My Mom will be in town, so hopefully we can steal away for a few runs.

We also decorated valentine sugar cookies on Friday night!

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What did you do this weekend?

More Peanut Butter Please...

For about the past 25 years I have been craving chocolate and peanut butter. Yes, I am only 25 year old, so you can take take that to mean I have always loved peanut butter :) But lately, I have been on peanut butter & chocolate craving overload. A few of our friends have been feeling under the weather (one feeling the nausea that comes with having a baby on the way, and one with some laryngytis) so I jumped at the chance to make them something scrumptious! I wasn't necessarily planning on posting this recipe, but that was before I tasted these bitesize guys:

I got rave reviews from everyone that tasted them. And have been asked for the recipe by both friends. And since I can't help but share something delicious with YOU too, here is the yummy recipe for you to enjoy! Let me know if you try it. I would love to hear how you liked it!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

from allrecipes.com

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used smooth)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 TBSP milk

40 miniature peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk. Slowly addd the flour mixture, and mix well. Shape into 40 balls and place each ball into an lightly greased mini muffin pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. Cool for about 5-10 minutes, and then place in the fridge for 5-10 minutes longer. Carefully remove from the pan.

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Do you eat peanut butter any chance you can?

YES!

Step, step...

Today was fantastic weather, and I couldn't resist busting out the double jogging stroller for a little run today! Maister always gets excited to ride in the jogger, and we even have "jogging stroller sweateshirts" and pants for the kids. Jay takes them out quite frequently, especially when the sun in shining. I often run really awkward when I push the stroller, but I was very conscious of that today and so far I am not feeling any bad effects. SWEET!
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I ran 3.48 miles at an 8:45 pace. I was happy with this considering I was pushing an extra 60-70 pounds! I was feeling so good, I even ran an extra 1/2 mile further than I was planning. I almost regretted that decision as I pushed them up a steep hill to start off that last 1/2 mile. But then I remembered that what comes up, must come down, so I definitely enjoyed the way down the hill as we approached our house!
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The good news:
As soon as I was on the sidewalk, my poor week of running was turned around. I thought to myself, "this is why I RUN!" It felt soo good. Plus it put Gator to sleep, and that is always a bonus.
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When we got home, Gator went down for a nap and I set up my gear to do 30 mins of step while Maister and I watched "Sid the Science Kid." She never gets to watch this, so she was psyched.
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Hear is a peak at my step gear:

Wii Balance Board, and Everlast Aerobic Step

3 pound weights...pumping some iron here people

And my most favorite cross-training shoe. Jay got me these for Christmas, and they are beyond comfortable and make me smile when I see that bright blue!

Maister was happy to hang out with me as I did my thing
Or maybe she was just happy to watch Sid, and learn about GERMS! This episode was right up my alley.
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I did 30 mins step with 15 mins of "pumping" my 3's. I did a total of 2970 steps. Done.
I promptly took a shower, and then it was time to get us all some lunch. Yes, I did not shower until 11:30am. Hey, at least I showered! Remember I had just watched the PBS show about GERMS. Made me want to wash my hands about 50 times...
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Tonight we ate the Spicey Orange Chicken Stirfry, and this recipe is definitely going on my repeat list. It tasted like take out, but was much healthier. I added several more veggies to the mix, and I think that was right decision.
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Do you ever try and make take-out at home?

-I have tried a time or two, but tonights was by far the most successful!

Orange you glad...

Did you grow up with those same knock knock jokes? You know, the ones that end with "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?" Or something like that. I used to love knock knock jokes.
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Anyways...
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You know in the movie Sleepless In Seattle, where Meg Ryan can peel an apple with the peel in one piece?? Has anyone else aspired to doing this? I have never forgotten that scene, and have secretly wished I could do the same. I feel like peeling the apple (is that considered peeling?) and an orange are pretty much in the same category. And today I peeled not only ONE tangelo in one piece, but TWO! IN A ROW nonetheless. I was thrilled! Check that off my bucket list please...

SO glad I spent the $3 on my bag of tangelos yesterday. We have already eaten a ton! These little suckers are delicious. Gator doesn't agree, and Maister only agrees about 1/2 the time. But fortunately I can gladly eat whatever they don't. If they eat the tangelo WIN, if they don't and I get to eat it, WIN! I love me a WIN WIN situation. And this truly is that!

Today I ran 5 miles at a 8 minute pace. Here was the breakdown:

Mile 1: 8:13
Mile 2: 7:41
Mile 3: 7:47
Mile 4: 7:41
Mile 5: 8:00

As I said after Monday's run, I can usually really bring it home on my last mile, but I have been feeling exhausted-to say the least!

Jay says I need to get to bed earlier, so I will work on that. Whatever it takes so I can actually ENJOY my morning runs again. I always anticipate my runs, but this week has been different. Hopefully Friday will hold a brighter day. Speaking of BRIGHTER, it was blue skies here today. I am sooo ready for Spring and wearing flip flops again!