Halloween plans

Since cross country ended, I feel like I have so much extra time on my hands! It's been an odd feeling for the last few days. The cross country recognition night on Wednesday went really well. The kids were excited and proud of their accomplishments, which was the whole point, so it was successful. When we got home that night, and the kids were getting ready for bed, Eli said to me, "I'm so proud of myself." When I asked why, he said, "Because I earned the M.I.R. Award" (M.I.R. was for "Most Improved Runner). It was cute :)

Yesterday, it was ridiculously cold and windy in the morning. It was 36 degrees outside, which wouldn't have been too bad, if not for the wind. I walked Noah to the bus stop, and we waited for 25 minutes! Finally, we walked back home and I drove him to school. There were eight other kids (at three stops) who were also waiting, so I know we didn't miss the bus. The bussing system has been really screwed up this year, and it's frustrating. Anyway, we were freezing at the bus stop, so after I got both kids to school, I really had no desire to run outside.

I dusted off the treadmill (it's been a long time since I used it) and decided to run three miles on the 'mill. Instead of watching a show (I'm not currently watching any series right now, so I didn't want to spend forever trying to pick something to watch), I listened to a podcast while I ran. I decided to see if I could set the treadmill at 7.0 mph and run the entire 3 miles at that speed. I can't even remember the last time I used that speed setting on the treadmill, haha.

It was tough, but it didn't kill me, and I actually did it! I was really tempted to lower the speed, especially after the second mile, but I knew I was physically capable of sticking it out to the end. It felt good to do a hard run like that!

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It's hard to believe that tomorrow will be the second Halloween without Mark. I used to love Halloween, and I looked forward to it every year, mainly because we celebrated Mark's birthday. For thirty years, Mark always told us his birthday was on Halloween--and it wasn't until he was in the hospital, and we saw his hospital bracelet, that we discovered it wasn't until November 1st ;)

Last year, none of us felt like doing "the usual" for Halloween, because it felt wrong without Mark. Instead, my parents went to the movies; I handed out candy at my house; and Jerry and his mom took the kids trick-or-treating. Earlier in the day, we brought the stuff for ice cream sundaes to Mark's group home for the guys to enjoy on Mark's birthday.

Today, I decided to get cupcakes to bring to the group home. I'd like to continue to bring something each year, in Mark's memory (he would be 60 years old this year!). When I dropped the cupcakes off today, the woman who was working said that if Mark were still here, he would have driven them all crazy by this time of the month. He looked forward to celebrating his birthday at my parents' house every October, and according to her, talked about it non-stop all month long ;)

In addition to the cupcakes, I decided to get some $5 gift cards to McDonald's to pass out to parents tomorrow during trick-or-treat, in memory of Mark.

I made eight of them. I don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters where I live, so I bought full size candy bars to hand out to the kids (I always used to get so excited if someone was giving out full size candy bars when I went trick-or-treating! haha); and I'll give the gift cards randomly to some parents. I think Mark would have liked the idea of the McD's gift cards!

Whoa, baby

Hello, friends — 1.5 years since my last post and thought I’d just drop this photo right here

#whoababy #unplannedparenthood #5point5months #marchbaby #arehashtagsstillcool #iggywillbesojealous #imissyouall

Original article: Whoa, baby

©2015 Prior Fat Girl. All Rights Reserved.

My kids wouldn’t come out of the graveyard.

What It’s Really Like to Train for Two Marathons in One Season

Have I mentioned I’m running a marathon Sunday? Because I’m running a marathon Sunday.

As in…three weeks after the last time I ran a marathon. After being injured for a good portion of the summer.

LIKE, WHAT?!

I took off most of July from running on the advice of my physical therapist and running coach. Some people have questioned why I pay a coach when I can download a plan off the Internet or devise one myself. I’ve had amazing results since I started working with Jess, but having someone to help me make smart decisions coming back from injury was completely invaluable. I trust Jess implicitly, and I knew that between her and my PT, I’d be able to get through this experience as safely as possible.

That said…

The Good 

• I managed to go from cleared to run a 5K August 1 to running a marathon on October 11. Though I always wondered how quickly I could get marathon-ready, I was never ready to test it with anything shorter than a traditional 16-week program.
• I ran two half-marathons and did a triathlon in those 10-ish weeks, with the tri just five weeks after I was cleared to run again.
• I ran that marathon faster than my first two!!!
• Just one week after Chicago, I ran 15 miles. That is INSANE to me. (Granted, I took it easy for me, but still, I ran 26.2) The year the NYCM was canceled, I struggled to get through 8 miles a week later.
• Though I had some pretty intense calf pain the week after Chicago, I really haven’t felt much rougher for the wear.
• I’m proud of myself for even attempting this. I know I can do it, which is a big change from three years ago, when I was TERRIFIED to try for two in one year and dropped down before even getting to the halfway point in Rehoboth. (But if I have to be fair, I think I knew I was going to do that.)

What I Didn’t Expect

• Confusion: am I tapering? am I recovering? What am I actually doing? Am I coming or going?
• ^^ How do I eat for this?
• Two marathons with only two weekends in between equals awhole lot of not running/exercising. Since the week of Oct. 5, here’s roughly what my weeks of training have looked like:
  • Oct. 5: taper – 2-3 short runs
  • Oct. 12: recover – 1 run during the week, 1-2 classes, 1 weekend long run
  • Oct. 19: OOH a semi normal week of running! ~3 runs during the week, weekend long run
  • Oct. 26: taper again! 2 short runs during the week, THREE REST days, a shakeout on Saturday morning
• I didn’t expect that the above schedule would drive me a little nuts. I’ve had one week of normal-intensity workouts, and I am craving that normalcy.

If you’ve ever run back-to-back marathons, what have you learned (especially that surprised you?)

Related posts:

1. On the Express Train to Taper Town
2. Running for Mike
3. Prognosis: Good!

The Biggest Crisis in America Today. Let’s Talk About It.

Hello! How’s it going? Are you ready for the weekend? Halloween? Reading a random blog?? Because it’s all here for the taking. Today we’re going to address the hottest political topic in America. Get ready to share your opinions below. Any guesses on the hot topic??

I am still all turned around in life with my new running schedule so I’m off to run long this morning. Wish me luck!

Note: I took that box to the Good Will so it’s not just hanging out by my table any more. I’m so responsible.

 

I have been craving cookies and cake lately. I don’t know if it’s because I’m:

A.) always craving sugar

B.) in the mood for a treat

C.) not eating enough carbs

D.) just want a f-ing cookie

Anyway. I was thisclose to buying a whole cake mix to make tonight. Just for me.  I wanted a fresh treat and the smell of magic coming from my oven. But then I realized I would at least half the cake immediately because I have no self control and am just living alone like some cake obsessed addict waiting for my next fix.

‘Wow. She is really getting into this story.’ – you

In my one act of self control for the year I made a single batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Boom.

Single Batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 1 packet maple sugar oatmeal, 2 Tb egg whites or 1 egg white, 1/2 Tb butter (or PB softened), dash sugar, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips (a lot). Mix well. Place in preheated over at 350 degrees until done, about 9 minutes.  (All I had was oatmeal, not flour. I’m going to try this again with flour.)

And now to address the biggest question facing Americans today…

(Yeah, we need to build a wall around Target and never let me in.)

Why must we spend $100 every single time we go to Target?!

I think it’s a conspiracy by the NRA or PETA or maybe they’re in cahoots! But every single freaking time I go to Target I spend one hundred dollars.

I went tonight to get Vegas a scratcher. I tried to buy him a fancy one, but he didn’t like it. And he keeps begging to go outside so he can scratch on the tree. I try to keep that to a minimum so I knew I needed to return the fancy one and get him a cardboard scratcher. So yeah, it’s basically a $100 cardboard scratcher. wtf.

He loves it though.

Check him out earlier in the day, such a lazy guy.

Speaking of lazy, I think this is my favorite picture of Clyde. I love him.

And Bonnie.

Question: When was the last time you baked something?

Do you have friends that you can share treats with? (If not you can share with me.)

The post The Biggest Crisis in America Today. Let’s Talk About It. appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

Confession Time. That’s Not How I Look

Hello! Happy day! How’s it going over there? Over here it’s going well. I’m hard at work putting together a Halloween costume for my dog. Yes, seriously. I am not sure if it’s going to work out but I’m hoping it’s a slam dunk (and hoping she keeps it on). I want to give you a hint on it but I’m too lazy to get one of the pieces from my car to show ya.

Let’s talk about running and eating, shall we? I’ll go first

Per my marathon training plan I am running only about 4 days a week. That means today was a rest day so I took a walk listening to Undisclosed and then did some upper body strength work at home.

Okay now it’s confession time. It’s been too long and I have a lot of get off my flat chest.

1. I have been getting compliments on my skin and glow lately. On Instagram people have been asking what I use on my face.

I have to confess, it’s not my face or skin or skin care. Well, I mean it is MY face. But it’s not that my face skin looks good. I mean, um, nevermind.

Basically, I think it’s my phone. Sad, but true.

When I went to get my new phone I took a selfie with it and a few others to compare. This one is like pre-filtered or something, I don’t know. The point is my face is getting older and sadder and stuff, so the pics are a trick or something.

2. I got a salad and large french fries at Del Taco the other night. And apparently I took a picture of one of those things – because I ate all the fries in my car.

3. I babysat for friends the other night and ate all their popcorn. I love popcorn and this stuff is good!

4. I think this is the most clever costume I’ve ever seen and no one else thinks it’s as funny as I do (I know this because I’ve sent it to everyone I’ve ever met except my pastor at church).

5. Speaking of church, I really want to start an all-women’s bible study group called “Jesus Jugs”.

6. I’m super bummed I am not running the New York City Marathon this year. I think it might be my favorite marathon! But I did get to help SR pick out her pre-race gear today. And by ‘help’ I mean I tried on random costumes at the Good Will and embarrassed her.

7. I had fro-yo for lunch.

8. Today is National Cat Day, but I’m not telling Vegas because then he’ll feel entitled to extra turkey and I want it all for myself.

Question: Got anything to confess?

The post Confession Time. That’s Not How I Look appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

Baby Kale Salad with Orange, Pomegranate and Maple Tahini Dressing

A month ago I traveled to Charlotte, NC to explore the Dole Nutrition Institute (DNI), where they do all kinds of intensive testing on fruits and veggies, and produce studies that go on to help us understand the power of the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals within them.

You know the first thing I was struck by? David Murdoch, the CEO and owner of Dole, is 92 years old, still very active in Dole, and friends, the man moves with greater ease than I do. Want to know what he eats every morning? This smoothie, peels and all:

1 organic DOLE banana, with peel

1/2 DOLE tropical gold pineapple, with core

1 orange, with skin

1 tomato

1 lemon

Handful of DOLE Baby Spinach

1 red bell pepper, whole

1 stalk DOLE celery

 

His mantra is, “Anything the sun touches is the healthy part of the fruit.” I’m tempted to ask him to be my life coach. 

Why eat the peel, right? That was my question, too. Here’s the answer — along with a few more of the interesting nutrition facts I learned:

1. Peels, Skins, and Rinds Have More Nutrients than the Flesh. Dole scientists have found that banana peels, for instance, are very nutrient dense, containing 2.3 times the fiber, 2.4 times the beta-carotene and 8.4 times the calcium of regular banana flesh. Read more here.
2. Bananas are better than sports drinks for recovery. Bananas deliver the same energy boost, and a much bigger nutrition bang, for a lot less money. Read more here. 
3. Vegetables Have Protein, too! A bunch of broccoli has 17g of protein.
4. Correlation between Food and Depression. From a purely personal/anecdotal perspective, I can attest to the fact that the worse I eat, the worse I feel, and the times I’ve been at my lowest mentally have tended to coincide with me putting on weight and not eating very healthfully, but! I also believe depression stems from a chemical imbalance and a number of factors not solely dependent on our food choices. Nonetheless, this study points out those people with the greatest amount of inflammation (associated with poor diet) had a 41% increased risk of depression compared to those with the lowest inflammation. Knowing which foods help to reduce inflammation (and which increase it) gives us power to adjust–even in small ways. Read more here. 
5. Antioxidants Do More than We Thought. The job of healthful plant molecules (antioxidants) may not be only to find and destroy free radicals in the body. New research shows that they might actually work by inducing genetic responses that yes, destroy free radicals, but also benefit health. Read more here. 

Going to Dole reinvigorated my commitment to eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible. So often, I find myself in a rut of sticking to my favorites–the same salad ingredients, the normal vegetable roster for dinners, my three or four usual fruits. It’s easy to do. But spending a few days at DNI, talking about their focus on Huetrition — and the importance of eating the rainbow, not because it’s pretty and not because it’s trendy to eat clean and green, but because it’s good for me. It’s good for me in ways I can’t see; It’s good for me in ways I probably won’t recognize, or be grateful for, until I’m old and gray–when health is very clearly not just a choice or a goal, but truly all I have. 

The most empowering thing to have happened to me years ago, when I started eating healthfully, was when my mindset shifted from “I have to eat healthy” to “I want to eat healthy.” I turned a years-long sense of dread into desire and motivation. Suddenly, choosing fruits and vegetables didn’t feel like a drag, or a chore; it was easy and nurturing.

When I came from this trip, I decided to switch up a few of the things I always buy. I picked different greens for my salad–Dole’s Power Up Baby Kale and Greens blend rather than just baby spinach. I picked up a pomegranate, acorn squash instead of butternut, white potatoes instead of sweet ones, a few grapefruits, and swapped cashews for pepitas. I won’t spend time worrying about getting every vitamin and every micronutrient, but even just trying to diversify helps to cover lots of nutritional bases–and makes for a pretty satisfying life.

With this savory-sweet fall salad, I tried to pack in a whole lot of nutrition and a few of my favorite seasonal ingredients. If you’re not familiar with tahini, it’s ground sesame seeds, and in this dressing, it imparts a toasted, nutty flavor that I like to make a little brighter and sweeter with lemon and a tablespoon of maple syrup. I’d bring this beauty to parties, serve it as a side dish, and add chickpeas, salmon, or chicken for a heartier main course.

Print

Baby Kale Salad with Oranges, Pomegranate, and Maple Tahini Dressing

Yield: 4 Servings

Calories per serving: 298

Fat per serving: 18g

Ingredients

• Maple Tahini Dressing
• 4 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• generous pinch salt
• generous pinch black pepper
• Salad
• 3 large oranges
• 1 4.5-ounce package Dole Power Up Greens: Baby Kale and Greens
• 1 pomegranate, seeds removed
• ½ cup roasted and salted pepitas

Instructions

1. For the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, lemon juice, and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil and salt and pepper until well blended.
2. To prepare the oranges, place 1 orange on it’s side and slice off both of the ends. Stand the orange up on 1 of the ends you removed. Starting at the top, use your knife to remove the peel in strips--moving downward to follow the natural curve of the orange. When all of the peel is removed, carefully place the orange on it’s side once more and slice it into thin rounds.
3. Divide the greens among 4 small plates or bowls. Top each with 1/4th of the pomegranate seeds, pepitas, and orange slices. Drizzle 1/4th of the dressing over each salad and serve.

Notes

Nutrition Information: Calories 298, Fat 18g, Carb 27g, Fiber 6g, Sugars 10g, Protein 10g

maple tahini dressing adapted from Mind Body Green

3.1

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My First Zoodles!

Hello! Have you signed up for Pile on the Miles yet? Do it! The less you want to, the more motivation you need. It’s science.

This morning I did a tempo run. I had a late night last night (super busted I should know better) plus a very early or late depending on how you see it Del Taco stop.

Anyway. I wasn’t sure who would be showing up to run this  morning.

By ‘who’ I mean, me – would I bring it for a hard workout after a rough night?

Surprisingly to me I had a really good run! I had a tempo run with 5 miles at tempo. The first 3 were ‘meh’ but I brought it at the last 2 for sure.

Tempo Run splits: 8:24, 8:24, 8:25, 8:05, 8:04

When I wanted to slow down or quit I just told myself, “Show the hell up!” And somehow that worked.

Pre-run I got some cereal to eat on the way to my running route.

I have some fun stuff to share on the dinner front… I spotted a Veggie Noodle spiralizer thing at Marshal’s last week. Boom.

Tonight I made my first Zoodles aka Zucchini noodles. I topped them with ground turkey, marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.

And for dessert I got some food for the soul and food for my belly in one stop. I went to bible study at SR’s church. Her circle of friends is super nice and welcoming. I really appreciate it and I have a good time and learn a lot.

At some point today I took a break while foam rolling

Next thing I know Vegas is right on top of me trying to steal my oxygen.

He is trying to steal my air or warmth or something.

I also spotted him in the shoe closet. It’s probably supposed to be a coat closet, but you know… SoCal.

Any guesses on why I have those water bottles in there?

Then, I hit up SR’s church for a bible study. It’s about relationships and communication and is really really good. I learned that I might be an avoider when it comes to communication about important issues. I think that is mostly with other people communicating, I need to be a better listener.

God gave us 2 ears and only 1 mouth!

There were delicious gluten free desserts too! Yahhhhh!!!!

Question: Are you good at communication with the opposite sex? In your personal relationships?

The post My First Zoodles! appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

Week 11 Weigh-in

I just realized this morning that this post never went live last night. Oops!

---

Well, it seems that the extra calories over the last couple of weeks did catch up to me. When I weighed in today, I had my first gain in 11 weeks.

This week's weight was 139.5, so I was up by a pound from last week. My waist measurement was the same, and my body fat was only up by 0.1%, so I'm not too concerned. I had a lot of sodium yesterday, which could be why my weight is up; but it also could be because I ate more calories this week.

My average calorie intake was 1854 per day (last week, it was 1721, and prior to that, it was usually just over 1500). This week, I'm going to try and get it back down to around 1500 a day, so that I can get moving on these last 6 pounds! I would love to be back at goal (133) by December 12. I chose that day because I originally reached goal on 12/12/12. It would be nice to be back there three years later.

Even though my weight was up a little, I wouldn't change anything from this week. I felt I made good choices based on the situation, and if I hadn't been counting calories, I would have eaten MUCH worse. One thing I've been slacking on is drinking water, though. I'm used to drinking 2-3 quarts a day, but when I was at my sister's house, I hardly drank any at all. So, I'm going to focus on that this week.

On Monday, I'm going to NYC for Purina's Better With Pets summit. I attended the summit last year, and it was probably my favorite blogging event I've ever been to. They have experts do presentations about how our lives are better with pets, and it's really interesting! It was at that conference that I was inspired to get a dog, and I started researching dogs as soon as I got home. We adopted Joey in February, thanks to that summit, and he has truly made my family's life "better".

I arrive in NYC on Monday, and then the summit is on Tuesday, and I leave Tuesday night--a super short trip. Since I've been to Purina events before, I know what to expect as far as food goes, so I'm just going to plan my best for it. I had originally thought about going on the 31st, so that I could spectate the NYC Marathon on the 1st, but after having so much going on in October, I opted against it. I'm glad now that I decided not to go early--I want to get back into a nice routine. Someday, however, I would like to spectate that marathon!

Tonight is our recognition night for cross country. Renee and I made certificates for each of the kids--things like the "Cheetah Award" for the fastest boy/girl in each grade, the "M.I.R. Award" (most improved runner), the "Awesome Attitude Award", etc. It took some creativity, but we came up with an award for each and every kid on the team ;)

The school said we could use the cafeteria for our recognition night, so we're providing pizzas, and several of the families are bringing side dishes to share. Since we have 29 kids on the team, and many of them are bringing families, there are going to be upwards of 60 people there! I'm a little nervous, because speaking to a room full of people is outside my comfort zone, but I think the kids will be thrilled to be recognized for their running achievements. Should be a fun night!

Pile On The Miles 2015

It’s time for the Pile on the Miles Challenge 2015!!! Are you ready???!!

Pile On The Miles is an annual event online where we challenge ourselves to walk or run more during the month of November. The goal is to pile on extra miles not pounds during this food filled time of year!

This is the 7th Annual Pile on the Miles Challenge!!! The first one was in 2009 and I won 2nd place for the most miles. I took it over in 2010 and would LOVE for you to participate.

What: FREE Online challenge to move more during turkey month.

Who: Everyone is invited to join. Everywhere around the world!

When: November 1 – Nov 28

Where: Virtual!

Sign up on this form below and come back to RunEatRepeat.com everyday in November to stay accountable and be entered in a drawing for prizes.

Why: Challenge yourself and encourage others to move more this month. This is about setting a goal and staying accountable with daily check-ins. It is NOT a competition for the most miles any longer – it’s about YOUR GOALS.

The Rules:

1. Sign up by completing this form.

You can fill it out via the link or on the form embedded in this post. There will be a place for your name, email and goal for the month. Signing up makes you eligible to win the prizes but you must check in at the end of the week with a comment on how you did to be eligible for that week’s prize.

2. Set a goal to WALK or RUN or MOVE x amount of miles or minutes in November. These could be miles OR a set time on the treadmill OR outside/inside walking or running or cycling… Do your favorite exercise!

Examples:

I will run 50 miles in November!

I will take a 30 minute walk each day!

I will go to Pilates 3 times a week!

I will walk my neighbor’s dog when they’re at work and hopefully they won’t call the cops again…

3.  Leave a comment on RunEatRepeat.com  each Saturday in November with your Mileage/Minutes Check-in for that week.

Comments on those posts will be entered into that day’s giveaway. You can have a rest day or a day that you needed ‘off’ but you must check-in and be accountable to be entered to win.

Yes  – you can check in with a “Rest Day” or “I’m tragic and slept in” or “I have a hangover the flu, send help” comment – it’s about staying honest and on track overall.

We’re looking for progress NOT perfection – so check in everyday to keep the momentum going!!

Pile on the Miles 2015 logo

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Get the logo to share and invite your readers / friends / enemies / brother / whoever to pile on the miles too!

Or paste this “I’m Piling on the Miles with RER” logo for your site here:

<a href=”http://ift.tt/1GJUCcJ src=”http://ift.tt/1GJUA4N” width=”250″></a>

Pile On The Prizes…

Each Saturday in November there will be a $100 Amazon gift card giveaway just for checking in and being accountable.

That means you can buy running shoes, workout gear, almond butter, underwear… whatever YOU want. And Amazon ships to over 75 countries so this challenge and giveaway is open worldwide.

There will also be smaller prizes during the week to be announced as we go along.

Let’s check in daily and encourage each other with the hashtag #POTM15 in Instagram and Twitter

Question: Are you In or in the way?

The post Pile On The Miles 2015 appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.