Service above Self 5k Race Report

It's a scorcher out there, folks! The race started this morning at 8:30. Last year it was pouring down rain, I hear, and this year the sun was blazing! 

We started out with the sun at our backs and some shade, so the first mile was pretty good. It was a small race, so there was no chip timing, so I started near the front of the crowd, and it seemed like everyone was passing me! I just had to pray that they were starting too fast and I'd catch up when they had to stop to walk! Soon the crowd thinned out, and I played leap frog with a woman pushing a stroller. I told her she was a stronger woman than me -- pushing those things is HARD WORK. She said she's about three minutes a mile faster without it! So of course, my only goal was to beat her (which I did!). I ended up a little ahead of her, but again, passing and then letting this guy pass me. He came up to me after the race and said, "Thanks for pacing me," which I thought was nice. We were both trying to break 30 minutes, but we didn't quite manage it. My time according to Map My Run was 32:13, but it also says I ran 3.29 miles. My 5k time according to the app was 30:16. 

I really don't know how I could've finished faster. I felt like I was pushing it. I just wasn't going as fast as I wanted to. We stuck around for the awards. Steve won first in his age group with a time of 21:12, which I think is phenomenal. The overall winner was literally from Kenya or someplace known for being fast. They got to my age group...AND I DIDN'T GET A MEDAL. Even though I would've gotten FIRST PLACE in the 20-29 category. Let me tell you, I was NOT HAPPY.  It's not my fault that ALL the runners now are in their thirties and apparently faster than they've ever been in their lives. I'd wait it out til I hit 40, except they'll all be making the journey with me! I wanted SO badly to earn a medal. I'll have to wait until the official times are posted. Maybe next year. (Even if I have to wear rollerblades!!!) 

Zoodles!

We made zoodles last night! THEY ARE AWESOME. We found a cheap, manual spiral slicer at the grocery store, and used it to shred four zucchini. Then we boiled them for 3 minutes, and voila! Anti-pasta! It's truthfully the closest thing to spaghetti I've had since we made our kitchen gluten free. Yes, it kind of tastes like vegetables (it IS zucchini, after all), but at least you can wind the zoodles around your fork like "real" spaghetti! I had olive oil, tomatoes, mozarella cheese and parmesan on mine, and Steve had olive oil, tomatoes, and chicken on his. We will definitely make them again, and there's an awesome recipe for carrots that I want to try...

I think that zoodles are MUCH easier to make than dealing with a spaghetti squash, and I like the taste better too! Also, I like to say "zoodles."

ZOODLES!!!!

Rest day tomorrow to get ready for the 5k on Saturday! Wish me luck. Last year was a small race, so I'm crossing my fingers there aren't many people in my age group...I would LOVE to win a medal...and if I don't, I'll never say another word about it

First World Problems of Losing Weight

So we've all given up deep-fried donut burgers for the foreseeable future, we tell people "we aren't one a diet; it's a lifestyle change," we exercise until our boobs sweat interesting patterns on our shirts, and we celebrate our victories, small and large--sometimes with support and sometimes not so much. There are the inevitable times when we fail because we just wanted a piece of pizza (and ended up eating the whole pie) or when we meant to exercise but fell asleep on the couch instead. But even when you do everything right, it seems like the world conspires against you between the media telling you that you're not skinny enough while offering to SuperSize you and friends and relatives not understanding that some of their habits aren't exactly the pinnacle of health. Here are the first world problems of losing weight:

1. You've hit your goal weight, which means that you'll finally look good in clothes! Except you're still in between sizes. For example, the shorts I'm wearing today are an 8. If I put my iPhone in my back pocket, they fall down. If I tried to wear a 6, they made me look like a busted biscuit can. 

2. At least I have shorts that mostly fit -- all my dresses are baggy and gap at the armpits! Not to mention the in-between sizes where you don't want to spend money on new clothes, but you don't want to look like a bag lady either. Because....

3. My boobs just keep shrinking but that pooch underneath them isn't going anywhere! 

4. People start telling you that you're "too skinny." While they're well-meaning, you don't just "need to eat a burger." In fact, you don't even really like burgers!

5. People telling you that you need to exercise less, because it's "bad" for your body to work that hard! Or making comments like "I wouldn't run unless a bear was chasing me." 

6. And finally, people want your advice all the time to find out how you did it, which they then ignore. 

Badonkadonk, Booty, or Butt

I love my Zumba ladies. They are CRAZY. The one lady tonight was recounting a conversation with her daughter. She's 18 pounds down, and her daughter told her she still has a booty. So she turned around and did a Zumba move (shake it!) and said, "I asked her if it wasn't a badonkadonk, but she said, No, it's just a booty!" Here's to getting the butt you always wanted, no matter what shape it is! 

I *only* ran 4 miles today because my legs were tired and it was humid, and I knew I'd be going to the gym later. These are my shoes. Running shoes on the left, gym shoes on the right. I don't know when I became a New Balance girl, but when I went to the running store to get fitted (which I recommend), that's the brand that felt best! There's another girl at Zumba who has the same gray and green shoes, and she says we're Sole Sisters. Did I mention my gym is awesome? And that you should move here just so you can join? 

Steve has been eating BBQ salads lately. He takes spinach, tomatoes, pork or chicken, and BBQ sauce. Most people would use ranch dressing, but he just uses what we make, which is any fruit + 1 T apple cider vinegar + 1 C olive oil, all blended up. It's kind of thick, but it's tasty--and doesn't usually need any additional sugar. Sometimes we add honey if the fruit is tart/sour (like blackberries or raspberries). With this hot weather, it's a great time for some salad! My favorite combination is just raspberry vinagrette and some mozarella cheese over regular salad mix. What's yours?

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you have a great holiday and remember the reason for the day (not hot dogs and hamburgers, but to honor those who lost their lives so we can enjoy our freedom!).

I went for a 10 mile run first thing. I finished at 8:30 and it was already feeling pretty hot and humid! I ran to the park, around the park and back, then my normal route past the library to where the sidewalk ends. 5 + 5 miles. 

Pork is in the crock pot, chicken in the fridge, and we made homemade BBQ sauce (very vinegary this time!), apple-pear sauce (think applesauce with half pears), and grilled sweet potatoes last night. Steve is adhering to the Whole 30 rules this week (the rules are here) to help his stomach issues and bloating. We froze a bunch of bananas (we got a bag of ripe ones for $1.69!) for a nice, cold snack. He also made a pot of coffee, which is now in our refrigerator. He adds coconut milk, cinnamon, and ice to make a healthy iced coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker, but he says it's good!

I hope you have a great Memorial Day and get to spend time with friends and family!

Travel

We were in three different states yesterday! Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. I joined my husband on the last part of his trip since his plans changed a little, so I was able to meet him about an hour and a half from home, leave my car, and go with him overnight. 
I don't want to go on a huge rant, because I know that eating out with food allergies is difficult, and I can't expect a nineteen-year-old waitress to know everything I've been reading for a year and we still haven't totally figured out. However, we were in a nice little downtown area, with lots of restaurants, and we looked at a few menus where there was literally NOTHING that Steve could eat. Sigh. Especially when you're hungry! He ended up getting a salad and some roasted cauliflower, and even though I talked to the waitress, I'm not 100% sure that it was uncontaminated. He brought a lot of food on this trip, but he'd been gone over a week and was running low. Plus it was a nice day and we just wanted to grab a bite to eat down by the river! 
Another sad little thing is that I used to love sharing my food. I'd eat about two-thirds of whatever I ordered and then give the rest of Steve. I ordered a quesadilla, which he can't have. (Because I'm mean and didn't choose something gluten free, but I probably would've ended up with a salad as well, and there wasn't enough to share!)
I hope eventually restaurants will be better informed and there will be more choices, but I don't know. Gluten free doesn't have to be expensive (and gross) bread! There are so many real-food options that are naturally gluten free--we're just conditioned to get that basket of bread and fried everything!  
The day wasn't a total bust. We went for a walk and the weather was gorgeous! I even hit my 10,000 steps, even though I didn't go for a run since we were driving! That's usually hard to do! 

Back on Track?

I've been bad lately. Every meal was my "last meal" because I was going to "start tomorrow." Now, even my "bad" isn't as bad as bad used to be before I lost weight, but it's not good! So today (so far) I've been totally back on track, and it's not that hard! Which makes me wonder why I thought it was that hard before. I was just making excuses. The "diet" food I eat tastes pretty good -- it's just REAL food. Why are veggies so hard to eat? They're good...they're just better if someone else makes them for you! 

So what I'm doing is challenging myself to be good for three days. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Then, when the weekend gets here, I might see if I can make it through the weekend. Then, if I make it through the weekend, I might see if I can go all next week! The first person who offers me a donut might lose their hand, but usually the first three days are the hardest. Then the cravings kind of give up and go dormant. 

I planned all my meals today, and I filled up my water bottle with ice and ice tea this morning (ice makes anything easier to drink!). Tonight is Wednesday, which is church dinner night, but I'm going to eat something before I go, since the meal is pasta with alfredo sauce! 

What are your tips? Do you find it hard to get back on track when you've been "cheating" for a while?

Eggs-ellent!

Here's your homework. Get a dozen eggs. You'll need that many. They are just that good.

Put them in a cupcake pan, in their shells. (WHAT?!) 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Bake the eggs for 30 minutes, then immediately move them to a bowl of ice water.

When cool, peel the eggs (yay! So fun!)

You can boil your eggs the traditional way, if you're into that, but I think this is SO much easier.

Cut the eggs in half, and combine the yolks (I only used half the yolks because of the texture) with 2 cans of tuna fish, 4 T mayo, 4 tea spicy mustard (more or less to taste and your desired goopiness of the tuna), and optional relish if you like that in your tuna salad (ew!).

Stuff the eggs with the tuna salad.

INHALE.

They are SOOOOO good. And also the stinkiest lunch possible to annoy your coworkers. YAY! (The original recipe from Everyday Paleo)

I would've posted sooner but I was hoping to take some pictures...but we ate the eggs too fast! 

I'm resting today, since Zumba and kickboxing were kind of tough to get through yesterday after running 20 miles between Friday and Sunday. I tried to take Chico for a walk, but he wasn't really into it, and then he ended up needing a bath when we got back. Does he kind of look like Scar from The Lion King or is it just me? 

Training Run

I had a great day! It was Youth Sunday, so they sang a bunch of good songs, and then, since I was already at church, I went North to the Madison County Trail to run. I took the MCT Schoolhouse Trail to the MCT Goshen Trail. Then afterward I went to Bobby's Custard and got the special: blackberry pecan concrete! Yum! 


I ran 5 miles out and 5 miles back -- it would be nice to continue down the trail to see where it goes, but I had to get back to the car somehow! The park where the trail starts is pretty.

There were lots of people biking. And one AWESOME guy on roller blades who was being pulled by his two dogs! I would totally wipe out, but he seemed to be doing well! 

I ran pretty slowly today, since I just ran 10 miles on Friday, but it was a good test for feeling tired at the end of the half marathon. I totally feel ready...I wish it was in a few weeks instead of at the end of July! 

I went to the grocery store (after I mowed the stupid lawn), so I'm ready for this week! I'm going to try tuna stuffed hard boiled eggs, and roasted chicken with broccoli and quinoa (and homemade teriyaki sauce), along with the standby cauliflower pizza. 

Heartbreak Hill

I ran 10 miles for the second time in a week, proving I'm in shape, and it's not just a fluke. (Then I bought a tub of Ben and Jerry's -- the one with the salted caramel core and the blonde brownies. HOLY CRAP. It's so good that it's dangerous to have it in the house!!!)

I took the route that my husband normally runs, but I avoid it because there's a big hill on the way back home. I ran up the hill AND up the next hill that I also normally walk (out of laziness mostly. I know I CAN run up it; I just choose not to!). So I felt really good about myself when I was done. I pretended it was Heartbreak Hill and that I'm awesome enough to run the Boston marathon (HA!). It was a beautiful day, but kind of cold. I ended up wearing long pants AND long sleeves, and I was so glad I did.

There were dog walkers at the park, with about eight dogs between them. Maybe more. At that point, I wouldn't have minded lying down and having a dog pile -- the dogs couldn't licked my sweaty face! But I just waved and ran past. If Chico wasn't an evil Chihuahua, maybe he could have friends like that! 

I didn't know what to have for lunch, and then I remembered that I made baked potatoes, so I had a potato with mozarella cheese on it. It really hit the spot! Tomorrow I want to make chicken and broccoli and make a bowl like they have at Crazy Bowls and Wraps! (with rice or quinoa and teriyaki sauce) We're also going to the Renaissance Faire, but not planning to eat there because they don't have much (healthy) to offer -- they DO have popcorn, though, so I might get a bag of half cheese/half caramel! Irresistible! 

A Perfect 10

Tonight at the gym we were talking about how we all strive for perfection. Whether it's a wedding, a vacation, the start of summer, we all have things we want to change about ourselves, and we're going to work really hard to hit our high school weight, or fit in that dress size, or just tone up so things don't jiggle. Then we've lost weight, and the vacation comes, and we stuff ourselves silly on all those foods we've been avoiding and gain a bunch back. But for that one shining moment, that first time we slipped into that bikini that's been hanging in the closet as motivation, we were "perfect." 

Or closer to that impossible standard we've set for ourselves.

It goes with the meme I saw on Pinterest the other day:

Don't wait until you've reached your goal to be proud. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal. 

What's your goal? Why do you want to reach it? If you could wave a magic wand and lose 20 pounds, fit into a size 6, run a mile without stopping (or whatever your numbers are), what would actually be different about your life? THAT'S YOUR WHY.

My WHY is health, and health means that I can run without stopping, and sometimes, for one glorious moment, when you realize that running means that for a brief second BOTH your feet are off the ground, it feels like YOU CAN FLY. And THAT is worth all the pain of sore muscles and sacrifice of getting up before the sun to fit a run in and eating carrots instead of cake.   

So I might not be a 10, but I'm pretty spectacular just as I am! And so are you :) 

Summertime

It's summer (or it was for a few days, sort of). I classify summer as "there are baseball games," so it goes from March to October. Last night I had to work at a game, selling hats and t-shirt, and it was freeeeezing cold and raining.

Here is the secret to selling:

Have one kid buy a hat. Soon, ALL the kids will buy a hat, even if you don't have hats left in their size. 

"Look, Mom! An extra large fits! If I just jam it down over my ears. Totally comfortable!"

What I like about summer is that I can get up at 5:30 and it's not only already light out, but it's already warm enough to go for a run without multiple layers! Today I was trying to decide how far to go, so I did the "if the time is an even number, I'll keep going, and if it's odd, I'll turn down this way" game. And then I took the shorter route even though the odd number came up :) 

So this week I've run 3, 4, and 5 miles. I am going to do my long run Friday, since I'm off work, and go to the Renaissance Faire this weekend -- that way, I can eat a turkey leg without remorse! (Actually, I don't like turkey legs, at all, but I COULD.) 

I had to skip Zumba yesterday to get to the game on time, and I'm having gym withdrawal. I just wish I had a gym buddy to meet me there. 

Tonight I'm making baked potatoes for lunches, since we finished off the cauliflower pizza (a staple) and my bananas are GREEN so I can't make a monkey bowl (another staple). I swear I could do a time lapse of green to brown bananas, without any special equipment. It's like they're only the good kind of yellow ripe for about 14 seconds! I need to find some good summer recipes. I was eating salad mix with mozarella cheese and raspberry vinaigrette. We stopped buying salad dressing to make our own, but obviously what we make has much less sugar so it's not the same. I might go get a bottle, though...that would be good on the next hot day! I'm also planning to grill some shrimp this week, then put them in the fridge and just pop them in my mouth cold (over salad, of course. What kind of animal do you think I am?!). 

Race Report

Because you asked for it, here's my "race report" for the Colorado Women's Classic Virtual 10-Miler! 

First of all, it was a PR, because I've never run a ten miler before (a PR or "personal record" means you ran the course at your best time ever). 


I wanted to start at 6 am, to finish before church and before the sun got too hot! The forecast was for 89 degrees and thunderstorms! My alarm went off at 5:30--and so did the thunder! I checked my Weather Channel app on my phone, and it said, "the storms will be out of your area at 6:15." Thank you, Jim Cantore! 

I did some quick calculating and decided I had enough time to run, so I started at 6:15. When I left my house, it looked safe, but as I turned off my block, the skies were dark and foreboding in the distance. By the time I finished the first leg (down the road, around the park twice and back -- five miles), it was a beautiful sunny day! (A little humid!)

I broke the race up into two out and backs, the second being the route that I run most often (which is mostly flat). My first mile was slow (had to wait for a traffic light as well), But after that I had negative splits (meaning I got faster each mile) until mile 6, and then I was able to stay under 12 minutes, at least. Pretty good. So I was able to finish in under 2 hours. (In a race with other people, adrenalin usually makes my first three miles faster, so I gain some ground and then decrease pace as I get tired).

I only walked once, up a hill, in mile 9. I figured I could make it through at least three without a break, then I got to three and decided to see how far I could go. When I got to 6, I told myself that getting to 8 without a walk break was my new goal.

I finished at 8:14, which was plenty of time to shower and get ready for church -- and wear my new belt that makes my waist look small! 

I feel MUCH better about the rest of my training before my next half marathon, since I know I have it in me to do 10 miles (and usually if you can do ten miles, you can make it through 13.1). I have several weeks to train, so I'm going to start doing 8-milers on Wednesday and 10 on Saturdays or Sundays. I will be ready to dominate! 

Things I Learned from My Mom

Happy Mother's Day! 

Here are some things I learned from my mom:

1. You're never too old to learn new tricks. Even if the new trick is putting olive oil on your salad! 

2. When at first you don't succeed, try, try again. My mom lost a bunch of weight with Weight Watchers, gained it all back, and then went back to Weight Watchers and lost it all again, and then some. 

3. Get your beauty rest. My mom is a big proponent of naps, and I'm starting to see the attraction.

4. Dreams come true. You might have to wait until retirement, but you can get that house in the country (or whatever your dream may be!)

5. It doesn't matter what people say; if you put your mind to something you can do more than anyone ever expected. Basically, my mom has a "paralyzed diaphragm," which means that her chest cavity doesn't expand fully when she breathes, so she wasn't getting enough oxygen. She had to be on oxygen 24/7, with all these constantly whirring machines and annoying cords that get caught on everything. With diet and exercise, she lost weight, which relieved some of the pressure, and she was able to get off oxygen! She's free from cords, free to do what she wants, and I think, feeling better than she has in a really long time. The doctors couldn't explain why she has this condition, and they couldn't really tell her how to get better, so she took matters into her own hands. 

I think a lot of people are inspired by her story, and whether you use Weight Watchers or not, she's proof that health can totally change your life, no matter what your age! 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts -- What Have I Become?!

My husband requested Brussels sprouts for dinner, so that's what we're having (with grilled chicken and spinach salads). They're...surprisingly not that bad! I roasted them at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes (I turned them down to 375 when I checked on them after 15 minutes, so they wouldn't burn). Covered in olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. I like the outside leaves better than the inside, but still, I'm eating them!!

For lunch, I had the chicken broccoli bowl at Crazy Bowls and Wraps. It's SO good, and a lot of it is gluten free...except the sauces and the sauce is the best part!! I had brown rice and teriyaki sauce, and it was delicious. I want to take Steve there but I'm afraid he won't like the ONE gluten free sauce (it's garlic). Sigh. I guess we could bring our own...or he could eat it dry, but that's not yummy goodness. And we could try to make one at home, but it wouldn't be the same.

This morning (I'm going backwards, I know!) I went to the gym for Piyo and Zumba...and the regular instructor wasn't there! OH NO!!! Something new. Routine's disrupted. End of the world! One of the regulars came in, did one song, and left again!! I know it's hard to get a good workout in when you aren't sure of the moves, but this instructor is pretty repetitive, and I thought it was easy to catch on. She says she doesn't know Piyo, though, so we did yoga instead. I enjoyed it, but I like Piyo more. Yoga is good, I know, and I need to stretch, but Piyo feels like a more intense workout. I am kind of glad, though, because I decided to run the whole 10 miles tomorrow (time blocked off from 6 am to 8 am. Wish me luck!) and Piyo is a lot of squats and lunges. I don't want my legs to be tired when I start! 

Of course, I ended up mowing the lawn today (got my 10,000 steps in at least) and we spread new mulch in the backyard. It looks better, for sure, but $27.50 on wood chips?! Sigh. That's a race entry fee!!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone tomorrow, especially my mom! May you feel appreciated without having to wait an hour to eat brunch! 

I Won! And I Haven't Even Run the Race Yet!

I entered a drawing on Facebook at Slow is the New Fast. Check her out -- even slow, she's faster than me! Inspiration! And I won! I have an entry into the Colorado Women's Classic Virtual Race. (That means I run it at home on the day of the event, which is Mother's Day, May 11.) The big question now is: 5k, 10k, or 10 miler?! I'm leaning toward the 10 miler! 

Yesterday we went out for Mexican (almost all naturally gluten free), but I think we both ate too much because I'm still stuffed and Steve doesn't feel well. Boo. I had chicken and fish and he got tilapia tacos. Of course, we live in Illinois, so that also might be part of the problem, but I love me some fish tacos. It seems weird, but they're awesome! 

Try it! (With grilled fish!) 

Anyway, I've been doing really well since Monday because of the summer meltdown challenge, but today was like a reset (in a bad way). I have to get back on track tomorrow with more veggies and less sugar! Especially if I think I'm going to run 10 miles on Sunday!

Things I Think about While Running

There was an article online that talked about what runners think about while they run. It was pretty accurate, so if you read it too, some of these might sound familiar! Here's what ran through my head this morning:

1. What am I going to eat for breakfast? Pizza from Casey's? A brownie? Mcdonald's breakfast sandwich? I don't even eat at McDonald's ever, but that kind of sounds good. I could stop somewhere on the way to work. I don't have any peanut butter. Ok, fruit and yogurt it is.

2. What if I won the lottery? What would I spend it on? I would totally quit my job, call my sister and go to Disney World. Actually, I wouldn't want anyone to know that I won. Maybe I'd have to still work for a while. We'd have to move so no one could find us. My next house is going to have a pool. Oh, look at that house. I could live there!

3. I love this song. I hate this song. I hate all the songs. Music is annoying. I love this song!

4. Holy crap! I need to do that thing at work! Gotta remember. Do that thing. Do that thing. Do that thing. There, now I'll remember. Oh, look, a purple car! 

5. Burst of speed! 

6. Is that guy in that car looking at me? I am so hot. Look at me run. Oh look, Mini Van needs to learn to run like me! I am awesome. I rock. Everyone wants me. WHOA! I almost tripped.

7. When I run my next half marathon, I'll have to run more than twice this far. I feel good. I could totally do it. I could totally run it right now. I should sign up for a marathon. No, I feel tired and my legs hurt. I should eat ice cream and watch a TV marathon.

8. I'd rather be watching Doctor Who. 

9. Oh look, is that a dollar?! Nope, garbage. 

10. Why are there so many gas stations? I want to stop and get a soda. You gave up soda. I deserve a soda. Why is it so hard to stop drinking soda? I want ALL THE SODA. PEPSI!!!!!!

And then I turned off my street and started my run...

What do you think about when you exercise (besides not dying)??

Overdoing It?

Yesterday, I meant to get up in the morning and run. There's less than 90 days til my next half marathon and it's time to get serious about training. Unfortunately, the snooze button is an insidious beast. Also, it was still DARK out (whine). 

So when I got home from work, I thought I'd do a quick three miles on the treadmill. I let the dog outside first, so I jumped off a couple times to make sure he hadn't escaped under the fence or eaten a squirrel or something. Then I went to Zumba and kickboxing, because it was Monday. Guess what? It's almost physically impossible to run and then do Zumba and kickboxing! I made it through, but the instructor even commented that I seemed tired! 

So this morning, to recover, I got up and ran four miles!! I was going to go to Zumba tonight, but unfortunately, I was at work late, so I couldn't make it on time. Too bad :( Tuesday night is when we use the shaker stick weights.  I love them -- until I get into it and nearly conk myself unconscious.

I made Steve a quinoa oatmeal substitute for breakfast this morning:

1/2 C quinoa
3/4 C coconut milk
2 tea. vanilla
1/2 tea cinnamon

Boil 15 minutes until you can fluff the quinoa with a fork. 

Add toppings. They suggest a banana, more coconut milk, and more cinnamon. You could add pecans too. We need to find a better way to rinse the quinoa first. I've been using coffee filters because our strainer is too large! 

We've been eating leftover chicken, pork, and potatoes for pretty much all our meals (the pork was SOOOO good, and now it's gone!) and tomorrow there's a church dinner. I might have to come up with something really good for Thursday! 

This is day 2 of the summer slim down challenge. I didn't have any soda today, which is a victory. Unfortunately, it also is an excuse to eat more, since I'm not drinking those empty calories. I'm hoping that after no soda tomorrow I'll be more balanced and over the withdrawal. If I don't sleepwalk to the convenience store at 3 am for a Big Gulp! 

Negative Splits + Negative Circumstances

So we had a church dinner today and I ate way too many heavy, garlicky carbs, and then decided it would be a good idea to run! I started running (slowly) as the pasta and potatoes sloshed around in my gut and made me wish I'd just had a fruit smoothie and called it good!

At least I had negative splits on my five-mile run (which means each mile got faster). However, Charter called during mile 4 to say they were on their way to fix our internet (THANK GOODNESS) and because the wind was blowing, the automated system kept thinking I was trying to say something and then it would start the message over! So that mile looked pretty slow, but since I stopped in the shelter of a church, I think I can safely shave about two minutes off for the call! 

And then, as I was running the last half mile, finally feeling good about myself and my stomach situation, this happened:

Yes, a bird POOPED ON MY ARM. I was completely disgusted and tried to wipe it off, but it just got worse. I'd like to say I ran faster so I could come wash it off, but in reality, I was shaking it and kind of freaking out, so I think I slowed down! 

Someone told me it's good luck...I guess since they fixed our internet quickly, gave us a new modem and router, and aren't charging us, it worked. 

Anyway, I got home, and as you can see from the second picture, a bird has built its nest in our light fixture outside our door. So either they don't communicate or they're systematically trying to destroy me.

For dinner we had pulled pork (it was SO tender I had trouble pulling it out of the crock pot), roasted carrots, apple-pear sauce, and fried plantains. 

To fry plantains:

1. Buy plantains. They're next to the bananas, but slightly bigger.
2. Wait a crazy long amount of time. For them to be good, they have to be BLACK. Like, unfit for human consumption color (this means they're probably finally ALMOST ready).
3. Don't think you're going to peel them like a banana. Oh, no. These suckers do NOT want to be eaten. I cut them into thirds, cut those pieces in half, and then peel the "rind" off the half-moon shape.
4. Melt coconut oil in a pan.
5. Put the plantain pieces in the pan, sprinkle with cinnamon. 
6. Cook until they're hot and soft and awesome. (I cooked them a long time today, first about 5 minutes a side on medium, then 5 minutes a side on low, because I was waiting for other things to be done)
7. Enjoy! 

Plantains are AWESOME. If you have the chance to get them in a Cuban restaurant, DO IT! They're so good they'll make you want to try at home...good luck! If they aren't ripe, they taste like wood chips, so be patient!

Law Day Race Report

Today was the 13th annual Law Day run! I finished in 32:11, which was about 40 seconds slower than my last race, but about a half mile of the course was on cobblestone roads! Rough! And it felt like all of it was uphill!! I was 14th in my age group, which I think is pretty good....getting closer to top 10, which is closer to top 3, which means a trophy for this race!
I really pushed it but I just wasn't fast enough! You can't tell from this picture, really, but the whole course was slightly at an incline. The lady with the Superman socks was there again! I don't know how she finished because we were in corrals. I'm not sure how fast you need to say you are to be in Corral B, because it seemed like there were a lot of kids and people walking.
I should say that they are really organized for the race, they had good snacks afterward, and I'm really hoping the photographer got some good shots of me! I think they should use me in the brochure next year! ha!

 

Just so you don't think I'm always awesome, here are the blueberry muffins that flopped. I tried to sub coconut flour for almond flour, but it's too dense, so they're just flour puffs, basically.

 

 Today I made shrimp on the grill with red potatoes, zucchini and squash (and red onion) packets. I put the onion in parenthesis because I don't like it so I leave it out of mine! The shrimp was marinated in lime juice, honey, salt, apple cider vinegar and cilantro, and the veggies just had olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. We devoured it too fast to take a picture.

Gray Day

Tonight's dinner: roasted chicken, mashed cauliflower, broccoli, and roasted carrots. It was so good! Now who will do the dishes? In a perfect world, it would make enough for more meals, but I think combining it all might make lunch. And we're out of that delicious Soulard spice blend -- time for a trip to the farmer's market!

Today I ran 5 miles and then did Piyo and Turbofire at the gym. I LOVE kicking and punching! I wanted to run further, but it was gray and damp and cold. Not great for the first day of May. It's supposed to be spring, right? Really, the temperature was 57, but it was so windy! 

While I was on my run today, I was thinking about how I started running. I used an app called "Get Running" which tells you "Run now" and "Walk now" in a very pleasant British voice. At the end of the program, you should be able to run a 5k (although I ran more days than the app suggested, and I had to run longer, since I wasn't fast). And now I just run! But I like to take block-long walk breaks at each mile. Psychologically it helps me go further. I've come a long way since then. I get Runner's World magazine! I know running terms like fartlek, tempo run, and PR. I have medals! Best $0.99 I ever spent!