Friday Five – Five Spring Foods

Mar27

Getting in under the wire with my Friday Five Link up. Thanks to Eat, Pray, Run DC, Mar on the Run, and You Signed Up for What? for hosting the Friday Five link-up!

Today’s Theme

Five Five: Five Spring Foods

I really had to think about this because to me there are warm Fall meals, hearty Winter meals, and light Summer meal; but Spring meals? Not really. Upon closer inspection, I did realize that there are things that are unique to Spring.

1. Hard Boiled Eggs – AKA Easter Eggs. I have 3 boys and each one loves to color eggs. Doesn’t matter how old you are because it is always fun to color eggs. Each one gets a dozen eggs. That’s a lot of eggs. I use them for a nice recovery snack after a workout.

2. Cadburry Eggs – no these are not necessary nor do they speed up recovery, but I have to have at least one a season. My favorite is the caramel eggs. I will also admit that I usually have more than one a season. Shhhhhh

3. Ham – We always have ham for Easter. Doesn’t everyone? I wonder why…. Either way it is not Easter without a ham on the table. What is on your table for Easter?

4. Anything on the grill! Spring is when we clean off the grill and fire up the barbeque. There is something to be said about the first grill cooked meal too.

5. Frozen Yogurt – Once the weather starts warming up, it is such a nice treat to have on a warm Spring night.

So my list isn’t necessarily a what should you eat in Spring if you want to be healthy, but it is all very Yummy:)

What Was I Thinking?

Mar25

So I had a little shock this morning! I wasn’t expecting it in the very least. Everyone said it was so hard to get into and as my marathon lottery luck in the past left me high and dry, I had no expectations this time around. I wasn’t even paying attention to the lottery. I, actually, forgot about the lottery! Then a funny thing happened when I was checking my email this morning. I found out that I got in. I looked at the email. I put the phone down and walked away because I knew I wasn’t seeing right. I had some coffee. I looked again and found out I was still in it.

Holly Smokes!!!!

I was not planning on running a marathon this year.

Really.

Honestly.

But This says differently

Now this is not to say that I haven’t thought about it, but I really, really, really wasn’t planning to run one. I never imagined that I would get to this race. To say I was shocked is a bit of an understatement. For those who saw my first post today, you will know this to be true, I didn’t even finish it!!!

So maybe my luck is changing. Either way, I guess I’m running a marathon. Good thing I front loaded my NYRR races and will only have to do two in the fall. Although, when I looked ahead to October this is the schedule that I have:

October 4th – Paine to Pain HM

October 11th – NYRR Staten Island HM

October 18th – Superhero HM

October 25th – Marine Corps 40th Marathon

Holly Smokes!

Breathe, Breathe, and Breathe some more.

It will all work out. I’ve always wanted to go to DC and this will be a lovely way to see it.

Now all I need to do is tell Dear Hubby tonight:)

Time to go inhale some calming lavender!

Has this happened to you?

Mar25

So this morning I was wondering what I was going to blog about. I had a few ideas, but they went right out the window when I checked my email. Here is why….

Let It Go

Mar23

No it’s about Frozen.

Although that is what we all think of now when hear this expression.

I can’t even say the words without singing them.

You try…

But

There is something to be said about letting go. It’s freeing. There really is just something cathartic about letting it all go. Getting rid of the negative energy that clutter ensues in our lives and minds. Getting rid of the things that are no longer useful and most importantly getting rid of the things that no longer make us happy. It is never an easy task to let go, but it is an important one. All our lives we are taught the importance of holding on, but we are never taught the art of letting go. There is a time and place for each of these in our lives and it is important to know when it is time to do which one.

Holding on although not easy really is easier than letting go. Letting go can sometimes seem like a failure or giving up and even a little scary. When in reality, letting go can open us up for opportunities that we would miss if we were holding on tightly to the things that we no longer need. Letting go is hard. Letting go requires the willingness to change which is also never easy. It requires the willingness to admit that something just isn’t working. Letting go can be painful, but letting go is part of life and the journey we must take.

There are many reasons why we have to admit that it is time to let something and sometimes someone else. Each of us has to make our own decisions on when is the right time. When that time comes though, you just have to run with it. This past weekend, I literally cleaned house. I went through kitchen drawers, cabinets, and even my pantry. I’m not sure what came over me, but I just went with it. By the time I was done, the garbage was overflowing and I had 3 boxes filled with donations. By the end of the day, I felt exhausted but at the same time accomplished.

Although this was a huge task, it was much easier than the times that I’ve had to “let go” of people in my life. Not due to hatred. Not due to anger. I just needed to let go because they were not good for me. Letting go is painful, but it is necessary. You reach a point in your life when you realize that life is short. Life is too precious to waste on people who are negative, who tear you down instead of build you up, who no matter how low you set the bar disappoint you. It is never easy, but it is necessary. Sometimes we are the ones holding ourselves back and we need to let go of the negative energy that we create ourselves.

It took me a long time to start my fitness journey because of my own negative energy. When I got out of my own way, it was amazing to see the things that I could actually accomplish. We must learn to let go of the things that hold us back. We must let go of preconceived notions of who we are and what we can accomplish. Once we let go, we realize that it was the negative thoughts that keep us from striving for things we imagined out of our reach. Nothing is out of our reach. Sometimes we focus on the wrong things. Sometimes we miss the signs that we need to change our routines, our goals, and our expectation. Sometimes we need to adjust.

Mr Rogers as always sums it up best….

Life is ever changing.

Goals are ever changing.

Never stop moving foward

and

Never give up!

Are you good about letting things go?

What to Wear? What to Wear?

Mar19

I must remember to dress for the run that I am going to finish not the run that I am going to start. The problem that I tend to have is that like most people I really don’t like to be cold. The problem is also that it’s cold, it’s just not freezing anymore. Therefore, when planning my running clothes, I am thinking about the temperature not what it will feel like when I’m running. Hopefully Spring will come and this won’t be a problem for much longer!

Yesterday was one of those mornings that I had poor planning. I was scheduled to run right after the children were dropped at school. I was going to meet my cohort Dawn at the park to do intervals. I thought the park would be good for two reasons. The first being that I could drop things off at my car as needed. The second was that even though I was hoping not to, I was expecting a call from the school nurse. Middle guy had been out of school for two days under what I consider suspicious circumstances. He had a stomach issue, yet there was no proof. I could not tell because of the way he was running around the house with his brothers or the way he was eating. He told me that he threw up. Again, there was no proof but I let him stay home. On day three, he was out the door. I told him if he didn’t feel well to go to the nurse and I would pick him up but make sure that he brought all his books home to do his work. I arrive at the park and the phone rings. I didn’t even get out of the car. I do believe that this day, he may not have felt right and maybe the previous days his stomach was off but not to the extent he should have stayed home. Anyway, no run at the park. Such is the life of a Mother Runner.

We get home and I get Middle Guy situated. Then must play with puppy who is awake and confused. Finally everyone but me settles in for a nap giving me time to go for my run at 11:30. I don’t go to the park but plot out a course and plan to run my tempo run on the roads. I start off good. Not too cold. Not too warm. After mile 2 where I was pushing it a bit, I’m warm. No car in site to leave my pullover fleece. I wasn’t thinking that today’s run called for me to push the pace and run 8:20 miles. Although I did hit that pace, I didn’t keep it. I was still pushing it. I stop on the side of the road to remove the fleece, but now I must run with it wrapped around me. Good times, but at least I am not over heating anymore.

Next time I will use the handy dandy little page from runners world that takes the thinking out of it.

http://www.runnersworld.com/what-to-wear

If i had done this, I would have been fine as I ended up running in just what they said.

While running though, I did think that I was hitting close to my targets. I know I was pushing it. Maybe not 8:20 but definitely under 9;00. The problem is that I didn’t us the lap button on my Garmin. Therefore I ended up not really knowing what I did. Although, I did look at my watch while running and do feel good about my run. So who knows. At least I got it in.

How do you dress for the changing season?

Spring Cleaning Has Begun!

Mar17

I don’t know about you, but it seems like my workout clothes, gadgets, belts, ect are multiplying. Now some of this may be because I have bought a few things here and there. When I first started working out, I took a trip to Target and bought some lovely workout wear thinking that I was good to go. Then I realized that this only covered the basics. As I mentioned in a previous post though, I have a few different “gym” bags for various activities as each requires specific items.

Case in Point….

Gym Bag – This would be considered the traditional gym bag with lifting gloves, workout towel, jump rope and such.

Swim Bag – Goggles, swim cap, towel, shower items as I like to wash the heavy chlorine scent off before leaving.

Yoga Bag– Yoga mat, yoga foam block, towel for mat,

Running Bag – chap-stick, sunglasses, few dollars, Gu, and odds and ends

Then you add running jackets, watches, rollers, hydration belts, regular belts, ect, ect and before you know it, my workout gear has taken on a life of it’s own or at least a whole corner of my room. Now I don’t mind that it’s taken over my corner, but I do mind that it’s a hot mess. On top of that it was getting very hard to find anything. It was time to realize that something needed to be done.

What needed to be done required a trip to Target again. I hit the organization section and found two different size storage bins that would help. I already had one bin with a lid. Although, I had been trying to pretend that I didn’t need more storage, I was only fooling myself. Without further ado, I will show you the before and after.

Before.

Yes, I am embarrassed but these things happen to a busy mama and I just forgot to take a picture. I did take one after I started and I had dumped everything all over my bed.

Ok, feel better.

After

I feel a peace and tranquility now.

Things are organized.

Things are easily accessible.

And lastly, things are neat. The bigger bin has my various bags and extra bags. Smaller bin has things that I might need on the go. The taller bin which has a lid now hold things that aren’t used frequently such as night time running gear, extra belts and such.

Slowly I’m making progress. I even started organizing my kitchen too. One drawer at a time.

It may take a while, but I do feel like I’m getting there. Maybe by the end of the year, I will be fully organized.

How do you stay organized?

Friday Five – Five things in my day

Mar13

You know I love the Friday Five Link up.. Always a good topic, a fun to see what other like minded people are thinking on the same topic too and to be honest an easy way to decide what to blog about:) Thank you Eat, Pray, Run DC, Mar on the Run, and You Signed Up for What? for hosting the Friday Five link-up!

Today’s Theme

1. I will say if I had written this post just a month ago, it would have been very different and I think in a few months it will evolve as my puppy gets older. For now though, a bulk of my day is training, playing, and socializing Finn. Like having a baby, you do forget how much time a new puppy will take up in your day until you have one. It is worth it, but I will be happy when we are past some of the “training.” Now that he’s a few weeks older, it is getting easier as he is sleeping better at night for the most part. I could do without the 4:00 am outside trip though. Soon. This is not to say that I am not enjoying him a 100%. My kids think that my day is spent taking pictures of the puppy which is somewhat accurate:)

2. I start off each weekday morning making first coffee for me and then waffles for the boys before school. I admit that I take weekends off from this take primarily because teenage boys do not wake up for breakfast unless they are eating it for lunch. Some people tease me about making homemade waffles every morning, but I’ve been doing it for so long it really only takes 5 minutes to whip up the batter and my waffle iron makes four waffles at a time. Plus I started making waffles when I realized that we were going through a box of waffles every two days. Double plus, I know and and can pronounce all the ingredients in my waffles (2 cups flour, 4 tsp baking powder, 3 tsp sugar, tsp extract, 1 3/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, and 1/2 cup oil – mix dry, add milk, add eggs and extract, add oil. Viola. To change it up add different extracts or cinnamon).

3. Most days I do try to get a run or some form of exercise in. This used to be right after school drop off. Now days, it is scheduled around puppies nap time as I don’t like to keep him in his crate too much.

4. Then there is the exciting household chores that magically get done when the children are gone. Fun things like laundry, grocery shopping, and cleaning. I know you are super jealous and can totally relate!

5. Social Media. – I admit it and you can too:)

These are just five in the many things that make up my day.

What are Five Things in Your Day?

Starting off on the Right Foot:)

Mar10

So this week as I said I would do, I climbed back on the wagon.

Yesterday was a rest day and I took full advantage of it too. I figured the best way to start off on the right foot is with not necessarily pretty feet but good feet.. It’s been a hard winter and my feet showed it. I’ve also been majorly overdo for a pedicure too and my feet showed it. Normally they ask if you want callouses removed. This time it wasn’t phrased as a question but a statment.

I felt bad for the girl who practically had to use a hacksaw to fix my feet.

I think her expression reflects the level of duress that she was under! I think she should have been wearing a hazmat suit. Don’t look too closely at this picture as you may loose your lunch. Also my legs are wrapped and that is why they look they way they do. I’m just glad the chairs next to me were empty! Don’t worry, I tipped well.

She did a great job and now my feet are ready to begin my training.

Yes, even Finn will now sit at my feet:)

And Yes, I snuck in a picture of my dog.

Since I’m trying to modify my training not just to alleviate boredom but also to try to keep over training injuries at bay, today I did 6 miles on the bike at the gym and some abs. Can’t wait for the streets to be clear of snow as I really do need to train more on my actual bike. Last year, I felt very uncomfortable with my bike at both Triathlons that I did. I was not fluid and felt out of step. I need more bike time to fix that. It was a hard decision not to run today because it really is so nice out, but if I’m going to have a plan I really should follow it.

Tomorrow, hopefully, swimming. I haven’t done that in a LOOOOONG time. I need to check the pool schedule and then see what happens.

What do you do to keep your training interesting?

Dusting Myself Off

Mar9

As I said before, in the last couple of weeks I fell off the wagon. Those days are over now. I gave myself permission to not feel guilty and took a few intentional days off. This was good because it was Middle Guy’s 13th Birthday. There was cake to be had, buffets to go to, and other such things to do. By intentionally taking this time off, I felt no guilt in not doing anything. I think this was key. I think sometimes an intentional break is needed for both mind and body. This is good as long as once the break is over, it is go time. It also puts the control back in my hands (yes, I know that it is always in my hands. Sometimes though it doesn’t feel that way.)

So I felt no guilt eating his chocolate birthday cake that I made

None.

Not one ounce of guilt.

I was on a short break after all,

but that break is over now.

I’ve got a plan. I’ve thought it through. Everything is not all in place yet, but enough that I feel confident in it.

Right now, I have loaded my Half Marathon training plans into Training Peaks. I’m ready to go. I know that once the other pieces fall into place, I may have to tweak the program but that isn’t a reason not to start. So I’m starting today. A rest day of all things:) I do plan on keeping Monday my rest/recovery days as I think I do need to honor them. So rest it will be today. No guilt.

The beauty of this is that I do need a day to do many things around my house that I’ve been neglecting. Besides the weather is starting to change for the better and I see comfortable outside running in my future. This makes me happy.

I am working on adding Crossfit back into my routine. I think I need it. I’m not sure how it will work out and I do also want to add swimming, but I think Crossfit is a good fit for me. For now, it is part of the plan and I will adjust as I need to.

I think what also helped me is that I’ve been sleeping better. I even went to be Saturday night by 10:30. There is nothing better than getting enough sleep to help clear the cobwebs out and get you in a better mood. So on that note, I’m off to bed.

What do you do to get out of a slump?

Friday Five – Five Things I’m Loving Right Now!

Mar6

Friday Five Link-up with by Eat, Pray, Run DC, Mar on the Run, and You Signed Up for What?

Today’s Theme

5 Things I’m Loving Right Now…

1. The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector – Love, Love, Love this stuff. I have normally very dry skin and the winter weather is not helping. But this cream does help. It doesn’t go on greasy and keeps my hands from drying out.

2. EOS Lip balm – First of all the container is just so darn cute and it’s much harder to loose than other tube shaped lip balms. I admit that this is too big for my running belt, but I do put it on before my outdoor runs. It is also easier to find in my huge purse than normal lip balm. Blue is Vanilla Mint too:)